My Cardboard Balcony

by Belinda Roddie Russell put the clown make-up on to hide the burns. He had to cake extra white powder on his chin - that was where the scars were the worst. Leave it to his mother to smack him in the face with a still hot frying pan when he was nine. With bubbling egg yolk still around its edges, no less. He had smelled like an omelet the whole time he was in the hospital. He didn't try to convey to anyone the kind of physical and mental pain he endured on a daily basis. People just thought the paint was a quirk. An artistic decision. A way to be himself. Only a select few knew about the kitchen incident - his brother, Joel, was one of them. Joel was two years older. He was also mentally thirty years younger, stuck at a seven-year-old mindset. So he still didn't quite comprehend what had happened, and he never would. He liked the clown make-up, though. It made him laugh and clap his hands with glee. Russell gave Joel warm cereal every morning, just the way he liked it....

"Help! Murder! Rape! Murder, and then rape!" "What is going on?" Charlie demanded as he pressed his body against the door frame of his office. Sure enough, there was Diana, face white as she clutched her chest. Bob was standing over her, looking more perturbed than anything. "Charlie!" she whined. "Bob's harassing me! He's going to hurt me!" "I was asking for a damn pen!" growled Bob.

Let's face it - one of the hardest things for me to deal with, being in Novato and working in San Rafael, is the obviously low number of friends who I have close to me. Most of my really good buddies were people I met in college, and they're all nestled in Southern California, dealing with their own jobs and their own relationships and their own lives. My girlfriend happens to finishing up school about an eight hours' drive away from me, so that's a double whammy. As for my handful of friends up north, many times they're too busy to steal away from their homes to have a drink or conversation. I'm not trying to be bitter or angry at them. Absolutely not. Priorities are priorities, and everyone has his or her own life to tend to. I guess it's tough when I end up meeting and loving all of these amazing people, and they happen to live far away enough to make a huge difference in the whole hang-out situation. For example, many of my awesome co-workers live in S...

Harvest Inn by Belinda Roddie - A peculiar sight in Holly City Is the Harvest Inn in a warm sunset And its six or so frequent occupants Sit on their balconies to watch A peculiar sight But they sit in fading light While breathing in the golden dusk spun mist.   I   Robbie Tennyson was born in this city He carries his life in one briefcase One briefcase! And his music is on crisp, brown sheets In his guitar case, tucked between the strings D and G That play their own harmony when touched by the slightest breeze And Robbie, not near fifty-three Plays the same old melody every sunset That goes a little like this:   Tee-willow dee da, lovely the autumn Tee-willow twitter, colder the winter But when close intertwined La da lee, la da lie They make the perfect evening Tee-willow, tee-willow, do-willow, do-lie They make the perfect evening   So he plays and smiles, he never went far But that was never required No,...

"All systems go, Captain!" "Good!" cried Maxwell, grinning from ear to ear. He pranced up to the teleportation pedestal and stood waiting. When nothing happened, he frowned. "Um...Al? You said all systems go." "...Yeah, well, I guess one didn't get the memo." "What the...which one?" barked Maxwell. "...the teleportation system?" "Oh, for the love of - "

After Mark Dumped Hot Sauce by Belinda Roddie After Mark dumped hot sauce all over Todd's brand new khaki pants, the whole tone of the dinner just got weird. Mark's mother started discussing the politics of the old Roman emperors, while Cindy spat a fat glob of mashed potatoes back onto her plate (granted, she was only six years old at the time). Todd tried to wipe away the offending stain, but he only made it worse with each swipe of his napkin. Then Mark's father began to bellow, "Boy, just finish the meal and be on your way!" Todd couldn't help that they didn't like him, since he was in love with Mark's brother, Jim.

The features at the theater weren't exactly up to the par that Snotty Samuel expected, but Ben was perfectly happy to view the latest action flick with the dead hot British star, Harley Kingsley. His abs alone just made Ben's forehead glisten with sweat and his knees shake beneath his extremities. "Let's watch it!" "No," said Snotty Sam. "Pleeeeeeease?"