Nesting — Free Poetry Reprint

 Nesting originally appeared in Multiverse, an anthology of science fiction poetry.

Nesting

I didn't say anything when you started hoarding marbles

when I found Christmas baubles in my shoes

or glass eyes in the silverware drawer.

I know you have a need to decorate our home like a bower bird

That's how your species says

"I love you"

I kept my mouth shut when you escalated to beach balls

and filling the bathroom with balloons

Earth boys show their love with candy and flowers

You put a human hamster ball in the kitchen

I was okay with that because

I love you

But this has simply gone too far

What will the neighbors say?

I will not have the dwarf planet Pluto in my backyard

Put it back where you found it

Bring chocolate instead

I love you

Personal Reflections On Bloody Mary

My story Personal Reflections On Bloody Mary is now available to read for free in Trembling With Fear, on The Horror Tree.

 For best results, please imagine this story being read by Owen Wilson.

I tried to write this story several times. I knew the basic plot and the twist at the end, I even knew I didn't really want to develop the characters much, I just wanted to have the story describe what is happening to them.

But it just wasn't working out… until I decided to write it as if it was narrated by Owen Wilson.

I have no idea why this idea even came into my head. I mean, I do. It's because I absolutely loved his character in Loki, and his unique way of talking just kind of found a place in my heart. But I have no idea why I decided I needed to write a horror story in his voice.

But I did anyway. And it was so much easier to write in a really colloquial and folksy style (my phone tried to dictate that as foxy, and… I mean, that's not wrong I guess) if I stopped thinking about "how should I write this" and started thinking about "if Owen Wilson was sitting on a porch in a rocking chair, telling a spooky story in his really casual, Southern way, how would he say this?"

So that's my writing advice for the day. If the story is good but writing it isn't working out, pick an actor with a unique way of speaking and pretend you are writing the story for them to narrate.

About the actual story:

It's atmospherically spooky but nothing too terrifying happens. Kind of a psychological horror more than anything. And Bloody Mary. But besides a sort of psychological and existential horror, I don't think I need to put any content warnings. Nothing bad happens to the dog, blood is mentioned hypothetically but not actually in the story.

I'm really excited to be published on The Horror Tree. I've been going to that site for years to find submission calls and it's been a great resource.

So I hope you enjoy Personal Reflections On Bloody Mary, and I especially hope you read it in the voice of Owen Wilson.