Los Angeles

Latte in hand, yoga mat under arm she watches as the rising sun turns the shores golden from Long Beach to Malibu. Traffic crawls along the freeways and the blvds. She watches the paddle boats in Echo Park, chats in Spanish outside the local Botanica and glances over the wares along Olvera St. In the evening there is sushi in Little Tokyo and drinks in Silverlake. The latest starlet is arrested on a DUI and she watches it all unfold. At the end of the night she sits next to the Hollywood sign and watches the world below. Watches as the stories unfold in her City of Angels.

This kiss

If she kisses you she will see the future in your kiss. She will feel the heat of your touch, the passion locked in your eyes unleashed. It will answer her questions and her brain will stop thinking. There will be nights and days in between the sheets and stolen moments. If she kisses you. If she kisses you she will hurt and later when her mind unfogs from desire it will hurt more but she will know. Is knowing worth hurting? If she kisses you she will see the future in your kiss and her heart might be broken.

Tim

The President. This lone thought trailed through her head as she stared out into the night.

They had met one Spring morning when she ran into him on the quad. She had been rushing to a midterm while he was squinting through dark glasses and a hangover. Neither noticed the other till they were sprawled on the grass. He took her hand to help her up and never let go.

"Are you ready?"

"Who can ever be ready for this?" But she smiled as she turned away from the window, the Washington Monument shining in the distance.

Sarah

She grinned a chocolate grin, eyes sparkling as the golden wrappers in her lap caught the light and grinned along with her. Scattered pieces of crumpled paper lay forgotten at her feet like multicolored offerings to a benevolent god. In her lap sitting just so was a beautiful doll with black yarn hair and shining button eyes. She stroked the hair tenderly and continued smiling. Without taking her eyes off her treasure she quietly announced that she would name her Sarah.

"I'm really glad you like her mom."

And Sarah had a watery smile as she watched her mother play.

The grinch...

...stole away with my creativity and left me with days upon days of staring at a white screen, typing out a word or a sentence and then deleting the word or sentence in disgust. But don't worry. I snuck up behind him while he was distracted by CindyLou Who and I tossed Santa's sack over him and dragged him to the Disney Hall to hear Christmas Carols. After, we went to Broadway Bar and had Peppermint Martinis because if anyone was ever in need of a peppermint martini it was the Grinch. I think I can write now.

Pink Elefants

The electric green banana floated before his eyes with its iridescent wings glittering in the light. The purple pony raised his head briefly from the cotton candy grass it was eating to stare blankly at the flying banana and with a snort returned to it's meal. Andy was oddly unconcerned with the flying banana and cotton candy eating pony, what really got his goat was - in fact- the chocolate covered baby goat trotting across his nose. Suddenly, the goat stopped, looked Andy in the eye and said, "Dude. You are fucked up right now." Andy nodded his head in agreement.

Venice

She sits on her bed knees drawn head resting on top. The rain pours down outside plinging against the glass windows. Next to her lies a half-folded letter. His precise penmanship marred by the ink tears that dot the page intermittently. She slowly blinks and stares out to space, lost. He wrote about the beauty of the city, how the setting sun bounced off the spires and gold of the Piazza. He talked about the ever present melancholy yet his unbound happiness at finally seeing la Serenissima. He spoke of returning to her. No mention of crashing planes.

Paparazzi

The telephoto lens and the slightest movement from the bush announce his presence. You are aware, she isn't. You suppose you should say something...warn her. After all here, in her backyard, he is trespassing and for once she is not on display. You are impressed with the bravado of this particular little parasite. Not many would tempt fate this much but you understand. She is stunning, he can't help himself. You watch her move about the garden, green thumb in evidence. "Still", you think, "I should warn her." But then, you would be caught too.

Fresh Love

I blush when you look my way. Warmth rushes over me from my head to my toes. I am young but I dream of us in a forever way. I imagine looking into your eyes on our wedding day, when we are middle-aged...when we are old. I want to hear you tell stories of your glory days, of State Championships and Prom courts. I want to do more then what we've done. I want to feel you everywhere and I want to leave this small town. I want class to be over so I can feel you looking again.

Pool

She breaks the water first with the tips of her fingers. She relishes the stillness and the calm under the water. No need to think, nothing to hear...just glide through the silence. Stays under a minute...a minute and a half. Her lungs begin to burn but she makes no move to rise. 20 seconds later and she feels she will burst and yet still she longs to stay below. Finally, at 2 minutes she breaks the surface with a great, heaving breath. The sound is like a stereo turned full blast. "Mommy!" "Mom!" Hey honey?" She shudders.

Game Day

You can taste winter on the air. Colors flash around you out of the corner of your eye- red, gold, maroon, navy, cloud, gold. It's 9am but you smell the meat as footballs whiz past your head. The beer racing down your throat is as cold as the day. The green of the field stretches on in front of you as the sounds of the gridiron encircle you. Your pulse races, your heart stops and you hold your breath. Sound and motion slow down. When times speeds up again you are surrounded by jubilation and utter despair.

Ice

The rain dripped steadily outside. She liked to leave the window open to smell the fresh air but the cold was getting to her. She snuggled deeper into the blankets a strange lassitude stealing over. There was no more warmth. Her breath hung in the air before her eyes. Her body no longer in her control, veins thickening to ice her frozen eyes reflected back his image. "Live," said Death. "For I am coming." The words of Virgil floated through her head as she realized that she had not.

Craigslist

Biologist seeks stunning conversationalist. "Hmmm...,"Eliza pondered the ad while sipping her latte and scrolling.

The light from the alarm clock illuminates the empty pillow beside her. 2:30am and the sheets are freezing. The creak of the 5th step on the stairwell announces his arrival as he sneaks into bed yet again. She hates the lab as she would a flesh and blood mistress.

"Hmmm...perhaps not." She continued scrolling while reaching down to pet the purring mass at her feet. "I think you are all the man I need Chuck." Chuck presented his belly in response.

Chardonnay

"So...that's it then?" Legs ran down the side of the glass as she watched, absently swirling her wine. A young woman with a long ponytail laughed as a man twirled her around an empty apartment. "I love you so much," he whispered against her sweat-covered brow as a babies cries entered the room. "Oh god," she breathed out as he moved in her, the music and chatter washing over them from the remnants of the anniversary party outside. The golden glint of the ring on the table taunted her. She took another sip of her wine.

Under a Magritte Sky

"The sky is like a Magritte painting," she said. "How so?" he queried while turning to look at her lying next to him on the grass. Golden highlights lit up her hair and he imagined he saw a halo resting above her brow. "It's the exact same blue and cloud style he uses in all his paintings. It's like a Simpsons sky." "Are you comparing Magritte with the Simpsons?" The halo disappeared, replaced with a faceless Homer Simpson in a bowler hat. "No," she replied leaning over to lay a gentle kiss on his lips. He closed his eyes smiling.

For Paul

I was walking down a dark alley- the kind of place where people are up to no good. I was up to no good. A solitary street lamp cut a path through the shadows and from the gloom emerged a tow-headed angel of vengeance. He walked towards me, the light from the streetlamp glinting dangerously off the pizza cutter in his hand. I closed my eyes resigned to my fate. A breath..two...I could detect no movement, no disturbance in the air around me. Cautiously I opened my eyes to find a 10-year-old boy with an impish grin. "What do you want to watch on tv now Chris?".