Hi!
I’d recommend viewing the ‘About Ashley’ page before proceeding to the other posts- but for you impatient souls…
All of the posts here are sorted into three different categories:
1. Poetry
2. Short Stories
3. Novel Excerpts
You can find selections for each style after clicking on the link on the right hand side of the screen. Thanks and happy reading!
When I was Young
Once when I was young
I went for a ride on a plane
And I stopped believing.
For where else can Heaven be
If not on the tops of clouds?
A kingdom that vast,
Cannot be invisible.
Angels are not cruel enough to hide.
Where did the castle made of clouds
And miracles go?
Was it ever even there?
Forbidden Fruit
In my neighbor’s yard there grows a tree
It stands alone in an ocean of green
Like a siren of the sea, she beckons me,
“Forbidden fruit is the sweetest, you’ll see.”
Tempting visions swirl in my head
Of juicy fruit in tangerine red
Deep in my heart it planted a seed
I yearn for the fruit on my neighbor’s tree.
Within my soul the seed took root
I dreamed in green and of sunkissed fruit
My will being weak, I could not withstand
So surely and coldly, I formed my plan.
I stole into his yard last night
And killed my neighbor in a deadly fight
In wicked eagerness I savored my treat
I always knew forbidden would taste sweet.
You Dream of Dancing
As your head hits the pillow
When you’re not quite awake,
The moment your eyes shut
In the instant sleep takes.
Hidden within a memory,
Lurking in back of a dream
Forgotten in a land of fantasy-
Where nothing is as it seems.
Dancing with Dead Leaves (formerly, A Day to Remember)
I’ll never forget-
The feel of the grass, freshly cut,
Curled around bare toes
Or the sun
Kissing my cheeks, burning
Eyes watered with the truth
Of fallen tears.
With the scent of the air
Like the sea in winter,
Biting cold, stinging my face
Weaving through hair
Dancing with dead leaves.
It made me smile.
Distantly, your voice calling,
Your words,
I’ll never forget-
The grass cradling my feet,
The sun warming
Tears, flying in the breeze,
Or the cry, wrenched from my lips
Echoing on the wind
As you turned your back
And left me there.
Dead Names and Broken Smiles
She stares up at her bedroom ceiling. In an attempt to distract her troubled mind she connects the pin-hole dots above her like she does when gazing up at the stars. Her tired eyes roam over a brown spot in the left corner of the ceiling and she makes a mental note to call the repairman in the morning to see when he’d be able to fix the leak.
Memories of the Ocean
The ocean; he reminds me of the ocean. I’ve lost count of the nights I spend lying awake, my cheek resting on my light blue sheets, wishing that they were his cotton button-down shirt. His pale lunar skin makes me think of the moonlight and his dark eyes are like the salt water turned into black ink at night. He is calm on the surface, but beneath the cool façade is a dangerous swirling of emotions that sweep up and pull me under the surface, drowning inside of him. But I can’t think of a better way to die.
Dinosaur Hills
The hills are giant dinosaurs
Lain to sleep-
Dirt and time,
Their bed and blanket.
Time passes…
Men build homes on their backs,
Lay pools over their heads,
And walk down their spines.
But what will happen
When the dinosaur awakens,
Yawns, then shivers?
Late Night Interrogations
“What were you like as a boy?”
“Shorter,” the father answers.
“What were you like as a baby?” the child
asks.
“Loud.”
“What were you like in school?”
The father tucks the yellow blanket
Around his son.
“Smart.”
The son twists, kicking the blanket off
With his red footed pajamas.
“What were you like when you met mommy?”
“Stupid,” he smiles.
“What were you like as a teenager?”
“Foolish,” he sighs.
The father moves to the door,
Switches the light off. “Wait-!
What were you like at my age?” he asks
His last question.
The father smiles again.
“Curious,” he says softly into the dark,
And he closes the door.
