Story Jots # 16 – Peephole Under the Stairs

Honey, have you met our neighbour?
 
What? 

Our neighbour. The guy the landlord said lives across from us in the adjoining apartment. Have you met him?
 
Ah…no, I don’t think so. Why? 

Oh, nothing. I was just thinking today about how strange it is that we’ve been in our new place for three months, and both of us have yet to lay a single eye on him. Don’t you think that’s a tad odd?
 
No, not really. Maybe this guy likes keeping to himself. He could work shitty hours opposite us or something. Who knows.
  
Yeah, I guess. But you would think we would have seen him coming or going at some point. His front door closing here or there. 

Baby, you are being weird and uncharacteristically nosy. Who cares? Look, I am completely cool with not getting to know our neighbours. I hate those annoying stop-and-talks. Besides, shit’s tangly when people get too all up in your business. That’s the whole reason we moved. We hate people remember. 

All I am saying is that I find it odd. I haven’t seen him in the laundry room, I’m there almost every other day. Both of us check the communal mailboxes coming in and going out, no sign of him there, either, and his mailbox is right next to ours.

Ah, there’s that weird again, babe.

Plus, it’s not only his door, I also haven’t heard anything coming from his apartment. Nothing. It’s always quiet over there.

And, there’s the nosy.

Continue reading “Story Jots # 16 – Peephole Under the Stairs”

Earth to Ash Podcast Episode # 20 – Just Cause

Welcome back, join me and my continuing conversation about my thoughts, feelings, and emotions to the world around me.

In this episode, I talk about how important it is to tell yourself how proud you are of yourself. Other people rock but so do you. I also give you a glimpse of a day in the life of Bartender Ash with a memory-inspired tale. And, as always, I throw in a quote and a poem for good measure.

Enjoy!!

Email: earth2ash@gmail.com

Doorway to a Rainy Day

Photo by Stijn Dijkstra on Pexels.com

a chair with no back 
black and white paint flicks all over it 
it’s pulled to the threshold of a spring rain 
where I was perched
at that tiny door under the house 
I am mesmerized  
I am tranquil 
I am frozen 
in awe 
in comfort 
in curiosity  
as the small rain rivers push down our little lane
carving its fight 
water from the sky stretching and stretching for something bigger 
to the ocean that’s only a small way from our hamlet home perhaps
there’s a seagull struggling in the wind, I hope he makes it 
I think about birds for a moment and gales
until buoys pull me away out there drowning over and over in the storm swells
boats rocked in all the wrong directions
kelp flaps clinging to moorings who never wanted them in the first place 
then I catch a race 
a bottle cap leads a fallen leaf 
both carried along the curbside down the road  
passing gravel traps and grass hazards 
the cheers in my head grow loud as rain poured like applause 
thunder even showed and lighting had to come too 
to see this race and how small it was 
a spectacle on a grand scale to me
the only fan of something worth an encore  
it was then the rain stopped as the bottle cap did  
by the fallen leaf 
both stalled by the grate covered in debris 
drifting and dancing together like memories do
 
 
 
 

Am I Write? # 46 – Poof to a Proof

Photo by Mariam Antadze on Pexels.com

When I write, I disappear for a while. But I always come back with a story to tell. – Ash  

Earth to Ash Podcast Episode # 19 – Winter is Going

Welcome back, join me and my continuing conversation about my thoughts, feelings, and emotions to the world around me.

In this episode, I talk about a bad day, and if it’s paired with a bunch of snow, an even worse day. But with the bad comes the good and the more good, the better. And, as always, I throw in a quote and a poem for good measure.

Enjoy!!

Email: earth2ash@gmail.com

Story Jots # 15 – Grounded

What the fu…

Before Ben Coleman could finish his f-bomb, or the joint he was pulling back on, the sky had begun to fill with people. Popping up all over the place. As far as his eyes could see, human beings appeared everywhere. First, one by one, then two by two, now it seems they’re multiplying by ten at a time. Suspended off the ground about a hundred feet or more, all spaced out sort of evenly. He slowed his car to a stop to get a grip on what was happening. This couldn’t be real. He looked momentarily at the bag of weed sitting next to him in the passenger seat. Pausing a second thinking maybe he was high. Baked on his uncle’s homegrown stuff. It wouldn’t be the first time. His uncle’s gear was always sort of “use at your own risk.” Thinking this, he figured it was another reason to pull over. See if he could come down a bit from his buzz and get his head straight. The people kept coming and it wasn’t long before he realized it wasn’t weed. He was buzzed for sure, but this was as real as it gets and now he was freaking out. His buzz was just making it worse.

Continue reading “Story Jots # 15 – Grounded”

Bike Writer # 61 – I Like to Overlook Things

When you concentrate on the highs in life, the perspective of a low can change. – Ash

Am I Write? # 45 – Let Me Put It in Writing

Photo by Dom J on Pexels.com

It’s not a blank page to me, it’s where the story begins. There’s an intimacy in that. Your work could have a million pages but you’ll never forget your first. – Ash  

A Shade of Ash # 45 – Jogging My Memories

Photo by Sam J on Pexels.com

Running helps me store memories from what I can recall. – Ash






Earth to Ash Podcast Episode # 18 – March Forward

Welcome back, join me and my continuing conversation about my thoughts, feelings, and emotions to the world around me.

In this episode, I’m back inside perched at my pass-the-vibe-check cozy corner of my home and anxious to chat with my loyal listeners. It’s March and Spring is just around the corner. That alone has me talking, talking about looking forward. And, as always, I throw in a quote and a poem for good measure.

Enjoy!!

Email: earth2ash@gmail.com