My Cardboard Balcony

"She plays the oboe." "Oh, does she?" I put down my fork. "And is she good at it?" "One of the best," said Sarah. "She's been invited to perform at concerts and symphonies all over the world." "Marvelous. Makes me wish I had kept up my musical hobbies." "Oh, what did you play?" I smiled. "The triangle," I replied. "I think I was quite good at it." "A master, eh?"

by Belinda Roddie "Did I just say that out loud?" "Not just, dude." "When?" "Like, an hour ago. Before we had dessert." "I said it out loud to them?" "Yes." "I did?" "Yes." "In front of everyone?" "Yes, John." "Even my mom?" "Oh, yes, your mom was there." "Was she hitting the gin as heavily as I was?" "I wish I could say that, but I can't." "...and my dad?" "He...wasn't exactly thrilled, John." "Oh. ...Okay." "..." "Aaron?" "Yeah?" "Do you hate me?" "Hate you for what?" "Being stupid?" "No. No, sometimes you are a little...well, you're a huge doofus. But I can't hate you for that." "You think my parents hate me?" "I don't think so." "Okay." ...

The ancient runes told the sage that the end of the world was near. It was not an end in fire, nor an end in flood. No lightning would crack the dry skeleton of the earth, the earth that would not convulse or shudder until it split apart and the innocents disappeared through the molten cracks. No, the end was a silent end, like passing on in one's sleep - while the dreams of the old man became the eternal truth of his existence, and everything was out of order.

I fell down at work on Tuesday. Before you start taking this literally, this introspection is a giant metaphor for how my week at work went starting on Tuesday. Yes, in a sense, it is a continuation, or perhaps a direct effect, ofthe anxieties and actions I took as detailed in my previous week's introspection. However, I don't want to get too concrete. As much as I will always be somewhat of a muckraker and never deter my own candor regarding the structure of education or the mentality of administration - this is not the place or the time for it. This is about me, my flaws, my struggles, and my search for my strengths. Therefore, instead of being specific or naming names, I'm simply going to be figurative. So, bearing that in mind - I fell down at work on Tuesday. A lot of things happen when you fall. A lot of reasons could be behind why you fell. In this case, I tripped. I was already stumbling, feverish and unyielding, and a lot of people were trying to get in my ...

Echoes by Belinda Roddie Edging towards the great crevasse I let my speeches, dialogues, And theories on my own desires Tumble down below And as I see them take brand new shapes That of a legend or a fairy tale I slowly realize that my very words Are ageless, words one’s heard before Indeed, they have been heard before.   I sit on the edge of the great abyss Watching once forgotten images Yet I cannot separate Which have not yet passed and which are memories It is difficult indeed To define dreams from reality And as horizon caresses my brow I let new words form on my tongue Yet as they fall, I find that they are merely echoing Those already said so many ages ago And I refrain from speaking long enough To let my thoughts settle, for though words May be repeated, dreams occur once And nevermore. The work you see here has not been edited nor altered since November 22nd, 2007.

Franklin was six feet tall and still steadily growing. His mother began to worry for him when his hands grew bigger than her head. The way his feet stretched far beyond the length of his size 13 shoes. His tongue swelling in his mouth, making it difficult for him to eat anything apart from chicken broth. She took her son to the doctor, and the doctor was white-faced.

The Sammy Shadow Project by Belinda Roddie The Sammy Shadow Project was unveiled to the city council on Thursday night, as February wrapped around the palms of each person sitting in the pews, cold, listening to the deputy mayor's excited speech. The Project would include a return to a more Gothic sense of architecture, to recreate the old medieval vibes of the town's history. The new city hall would cast an ebon shade upon a carved out cathedral. The museums would be marble, houses dark, and stained glass painted with the silhouette of Sammy, who the town owed heavy debt.