The flash of light that crossed the sky was the sign, drawing him in to a destiny laid out by the masters of lore, following roads long hidden from light. 

He followed paths only he could see and engulfed in darkness he sought his prey, determined to extinguish its spark before it could ignite.

Stealing softly to its side he raises his sword, ready to strike, but the babe looks up, its eyes boring into his soul, and he stands frozen while life is torn from his…

It's dark.

Does it matter?

I can spend another day wondering what is true.

A day watching, waiting, wishing, for some shade of gray between the black and white that I am told is real.

In the end truth is hidden behind the shadows of promises, and as the day winds down I must choose between evils wrapped  in blankets of hope.

But if my only choice is to know or to hide,  I have to ask if  I really care?

They met in secret to lie in the the grass, the moon hanging low in a daytime sky, watching while they dreamed the dreams of youth and hope.

" Can you take me with you?" she asks.

"I will take you everywhere," he replies, staring deeply into her eyes with his passion and lust flowing just behind.

Years later they lie under a similar moon, only not in secret this time, but with their hopes and dreams still ebbing and flowing like the tides on an…

The night is coming sooner now, even if the clock on the far side of the room doesn't show it, and the early arrival of darkness outside seems to suck that much more time out of days that already seem too short.

The darkness does helps with the bedtime routine, allowing me to avoid the question "Why do I have to go to bed when it is still light outside?" 

Most nights I put the middle one to bed, her small head resting against my arm as she listens to her book…

I took a walk today along the "nature" trail near my office.  These seem to be the rage now as we extend ourselves farther and farther in to the places that used to be something else.  Greenways they are called, or green spaces, or whatever other "green" name we might like to apply to these jigsaw puzzle combinations of parks and trails built around our ever expanding urban areas.

Those in the city come here to relax, walking with lattes, riding bikes, pushing children in…

I was walking very slowly and in the soft dust of the pathway my soft boots made no sound, or I might not have seen what I did - two figures close in the shadow of the wall...

"Tell me, " said Kim lazily, "whether I find my Red Bull on a green field as was promised me."

"Wal, your cowboys now, " returned Hays.

It had become too much for her.

"I'll get Gay right to work on that truck."

Then he wrote and read what…

"So do you feel better now," the smaller man asked, looking into his beer.

"No, but I wasn't expecting to."

"So why kill him if you didn't think it would make you feel any better?"

Getting no response he continued, "Was it just revenge then?"

"No, " the larger man replied, draining his glass and setting it carefully on the bar in front of him.

He stood and looked down at the smaller man, "I just want my daughter back and that can never happen, but at least…

Have I told you the story?

The one that began when you took my heart in your hand, and ends in forever with that hand in mine, the two of us walking with souls intertwined.

No,  maybe not.

It could have been wonderful, if another man's war in a different man's land, hadn't ended my part, before that beautiful walk began.

I am still here my love, watching and listening, as your story goes on, without me in…

He was in heaven as he drank in her beautiful smile.   He had heard of soul mates, but never believed, until that one small moment when his eyes met hers.

He had never before been able to share his innermost secrets with someone who cared. They had talked for hours, asking and telling.

Gazing at her he smiled, "So what do you think the afterlife will be like?"

Her laugh was haunting, but the sparkle in her eyes kept him drawn in, hanging on her…

They were passionate and filled the nights with pleasure, each kiss lingering through the next day in life.

At the altar the passion still flamed, on display for all to see, and two became one as husband and wife.

Like all great things there are consequences though, and the kisses of passion and love needed to grow, as the two who were one became three.

Now I sit and watch as they're shared, peppering little foreheads with unending love and…

Is death a place with no passion or is just that life without it is little more than the death that he fears?

The man walks in a dispassionate cloud, seeing it all, but feeling none, wondering at this as he looks around.

He sees hate, when an unreasoning rage unleashes itself on an innocent soul.

He sees love as children run in the grass of the park, tired mothers sipping coffee, but watching with the knowing look that only they can…

Darkness came several hours ago here, the sun moving on with its life giving rays.

In the darkness as life winds down, tired from a day that could easily be others, I wonder of things that might have been, or maybe things that I should have done differently, or better, or not at all.

The actions in question have long since gone past and I can change them no more than I can stop the suns transit as we spin beneath its heat.

A tired mind though…

Arriving to a house full of strangers had me uncertain of what to expect.  A flurry of questions ranged though my head, most aimed at just how well I would fit in or even if I was worthy of being invited (apparently I did pass a background investigation).

A house full of life might be a better moniker. Or maybe house full of characters, or strangeness, or worse.  In the end, the name said it all and that is what made it fun, a House of Writers, and I for one am grateful to…