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The Work of My Hands
Read my essay interview – WOW! Q4 Creative Nonfiction Essay Runner Up My hands appear thin and frail, well-worn, and bony at the knuckles, age spots playing tag on my skin like connect-the-dot puzzles. Blue streaks settle beneath the surface, and new wrinkles line up near my wrist, promising not to deepen, though I know…
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TREE OF LIGHT
A Braided Essay “What is wrong with me,” she asks. Her caregiver says, “Many are unwell. I’m diabetic and can’t enjoy sugar. For you, dementia means forgetting some things.” They pull into the Tastee Freeze drive-through for an ice cream. She gazes beyond the passenger-side window, and points, saying, “I feel just like that tree.” …
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Palm Walk
I step outside the conference center to make my way home. One sprinkle, two, then three in quick succession. Rain wasn’t in my plan today. An hour’s drive this morning, followed by eight hours of writing sessions means a longing to get home, especially before dark. Raindrops dance on my nose, my forehead, and smudge…
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Kid Table
I’m a table. Not the kind you would imagine. I’m tiny. And two tiny chairs snuggle up against me most of the time. I wasn’t complete when I first arrived at the lady’s front porch. The box that held me was so dark and snug, I could barely breathe. But soon, the lady took me…
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Happy Father’s Day
Jack’s Shadowbox Jack of all trades. Demigod of the garden. Camper extraordinaire. Master of music. Guru of games—rummy, poker, pool, and Wheel of Fortune. He roasted green chilis fresh off the vine, cooked up fresh-caught, deep-fried catfish, served hot chocolate gravy over biscuits for breakfast, and ran a locomotive to boot. A 7 x 10-inch…
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8:16 On The Clock
Dad had a curious habit of calling out birth dates from numbers on his digital clock. My children and niece have birthdays in September, on the 12th and 13th. So, at 9:12 (am or pm) on any given day, Dad would say “Look at that. It’s Nick’s birthday on the clock.” And at 9:13, he’d grin…
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Job Application Letter
Homebody Craft Vineyards 1046 E. Best Wines Boulevard Paso Robles, CA 93446 RE: Letter of Application for Remote/Telecommuting Position Dear Hiring Manager: Thank you for the opportunity to apply for a customer service position with your distinguished company, Homebody Craft Vineyards. With the holidays upon us, I have already started researching this wine distributor by purchasing…
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Grannie’s Fideo
Imagine yourself as a teenager, dilly-dallying after school. No hurry to get home. You hang out at the bus stop with friends until your stomach starts to growl and you start thinking about dinner. It’s a warm day, and as you’re walking home, you realize you smell like books and physical education class and beanie…
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Mountain Chickadee
The mountain chickadee is tiny. She is quick, agile, and curious like me. She’s a songbird, whistling an enchanting tune, like the ones my dad whistled while tending to his garden. Usually, he whistled songs from The Beatles, especially Let It Be. The lyrics are hopeful. Dad was hopeful. He believed there would be an answer…
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Girls Trip
Girls’ trip to Port Hadlock, Washington brought together six women and one brave husband for four wondrous days of chatter, inspiration, and adventure. Prior work colleagues, we quickly became forever friends as bonds strengthened. We reminisced, shared personal stories, laughed, cried, and learned more about each other in four days than we did working together…
Writer Leslie Cox 