The Writers' Block Digital Journal Publication

A short story by Kharma Gentner “...And I’m out!” she exclaims, placing her second-to-last card—a 3 of hearts—before her run of the 4, 5, and 6 of the same suit. With a victorious smirk, she carelessly flicks her wrist and tosses her final card onto the discard pile. “Oh, shoot!” her daughter grumbles. “I was just about to pick up the six and seven and play my five!” The mother looks to where her daughter is gesturing and sees that she’s right. On her next turn, the daughte

A poem by Anonymous playing the piano feels like floating into space, and like swimming underwater, and like breathing crisp winter air nothing can compare to its grace playing the piano is second nature i can’t think too much or too little or i mess up the whole song it isn’t a big deal, but to me it feels major playing the piano reminds me of my childhood my mother making me do lessons i listened, although reluctantly and now, i don’t play as much as i should playing the pi

A poem by Mariah Papaya Oh glorious Oh majesty Oh... my lord She is breathtaking Amazing Like an angel Her blonde, wavy hair Flows with the wind As she props herself up On the boat Her smile lightens up the mood Her laugh calms me Her eyes romanticize me Everything else is too great to describe What am I to her When I can only stare For a brief moment Before looking away

A poem by Mariah Papaya The Boy From Florida Was a Military Man Stationed In Japan He Talked Of Long Flights And His Ears Popping And Leaving His Friends And His Head Throbbing We Shared Our Love of Music And Movies And Of Course Our Small Shoe Collection I Wish We Weren’t Oceans Apart And We Could Speak Again He’s Special to Me I Hope He Will Understand The Florida Boy Who’s A Military Man Stationed In Japan

A poem by Kharma Gentner We're not so different, you and I. The clothes I wear, Others’ opinions Plastered on my body. They like them, so I wear them. No matter if I like them, I need to Be unique. To stand out from my clones. Who am I without my appearance? The poses I strike Exhaust me physically and emotionally. I hold the same position, The same composure, Day after day, To satisfy those passersby. Interactions that last seconds for them Mean everything to me. The looks I

A short story by Kharma Gentner There once was a lumber worker named Willy. Willy was silly, but still he took his birch biz seriously. Silly Willy chopped logs day after day, taking order after order from Chicago locals. One day, Silly Willy was approached by a bully, Big Billy, who builds buildings for the Chicago Bulls. Big Bully Billy beckoned that the Bulls want to buy birch to build their buildings, but they better be billed better than what Silly Willy was willing to

A poem by Cadence Bommarito Some days I lie awake in my room Wondering if it’ll ever find me And if it’ll ever be mine But under bellowed out hollow trees I stumble A crash to my knees and I wiggle to sit upright I open a book but don’t read it I just want to be mysterious Until it finds me Like a magic show or a television series But life is never like those things In real life an apple falls and knocks me out cold And I, my conscience, ponders If life is worth living Withou

A poem by Mariah Papaya So Much in Life I Want to Begin So Little Time I have Before the Fire Will Dim The Responsibilities The Poem The Unfinished Book, too I Need to Get Back To Work So Much I Need to Do And Every Day the Sunsets And Its Time For Bed While all the Missed Opportunities Flutter Through my Head

A poem by Cadence Bommarito She gave into a little sin Instead of putting It in the bin Girl, carried it within Pockets full of simple sin The one she gave in No more! They said. A sound that dropped Like a pin Ultimately devil wins When she gave in To a little sin And was on her phone in class

Short Story by Julian Cook The girl chews slowly, savoring the taste of marrow as warm blood drips from her chin, speckling the pastel streamer of her glittery bike handles. With no trace left, she wipes her mouth clean. Her limbs unfolded in a way that wasn’t quite right, joints bending too smoothly—too inhuman—as she rose to her feet. Her mouth creeps closed as she begins to hum a soft eerie tune. The town is unnervingly quiet, only the distant hum of a streetlamp and the

Song by Steven Insco Link to audio recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Nta0MIgkNw3cs0oWbYxhJG1wocbZh1w/view?usp=sharing Lyrics: The way I feel as you Rest your hands in mine, It’s so immaculate and Perfectly divine. I see your smiling face After a hard day. And then so quickly My pain just fades away I want to give myself to you. Nothing in this world I would rather do. Burning hearts, a fiery inferno Because I need your love eternal. I hear our song come on As I dri

A Heroic Couplet by Alexander Fosnaugh I have always loved the unlovable Dogs and cats that appeared unsociable The slimy, slithering, slinky snakes and Even hairy spiders that leave you quite stunned They all have their place in life’s great story But you have taught me, I must stay wary You wormed and wriggled into my gullet Down into my soul’s depths you did plummet I cried feeling you deep within my soul I, your personal buffet, you left holes Filled with longing, misery,

Poem by Kaden Hill Christmas Eve 2022 Every year I continue to miss you Only here for 2 years Just the thought brings me to tears I still...

Creative Writing Piece by Anonymous Class starts tomorrow, and I’m a bit nervous. There are quite a few things I have yet to wrap up,...

A Poem by Anonymous I had a Dream Me and you were both in it The grass had droplets of water The sun was just rising The air smelled damp...

A Poem by Anonymous Scary Poem about the Issue with the Health Care System in America One was Crawlin’ than they had Fallen’ One Slept,...

A Short Story by Lauren Banks I’m sorry, ma’am, but our refund policy only applies to official mall employees Karen stormed through the...

A Poem by Hope Lang Angry, crazy crow whisperer, Queen of the dead. At least that’s what they called her, Said she wasn’t right in the...

Poem by Hope Lang A girl, laughing at the firefly Cupped in her tiny hand. She sang hymns of the purest babe, Born in a foreign land. A...

Nonfiction Piece by Hope Lang Silence the static. Be present. Scrolling through the crowded online community of Instagram, I repeated...