Literary Crumbs: Poems & Short Stories to Savor by D. Ryan Lafferty

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Welcome to the central source for my creative work. Here you will find a collection of all original short stories and poetry from me, D. Ryan Lafferty.

I generally post the contents of my column as full articles as they appeared in print, with stories and poems posted separately for your convenience. Use the search feature or click the links above to peruse poems or short stories.

“Why crumbs?” you may be asking. In writing a monthly column for People Papers, my stories needed to fit within the fold and so I set out to craft little bits of high-calorie fiction for my readers to digest. An amuse-bouche so to speak so Bon appétit!

-Ryan

  • The Things We Own

    By D. Ryan Lafferty Margery Corman took great pride in her home. She delighted in sweeping the kitchen floor, dusting the few tchotchkes that lived on her shelves, and gently wiping down all of the gadgets and gizmos, her sundry electronics, that seem to be ever-present in the modern world. The dawn of early morning…

  • Walking in Circles

    By D. Ryan Lafferty I remember, as a boy, seeing an elephant at the circus. This was not one of those large specimens draped in tapestry, standing on the shoulders of other goliaths, but somewhat smaller; a medium-sized pachyderm if there is such a thing. This one, my little giant friend, was a kiddie ride…

  • Gravedigger

    By D. Ryan Lafferty It’s always quiet here in the yard; peaceful slumber, well, that’s the idea isn’t it? I can understand why the townsfolk are creeped out by this place. The gray slabs and rain worn marble look like something out of a Universal Classic horror movie. As if at any moment now, Bela…

  • Old Jim Sievers

    By D. Ryan Lafferty The heat rose from a wide, rough, and dusty road in shimmering waves. It breathed dry and heavy upon the faces of the good people of Sun Valley, a half-dead town torn from the pages of a Zane Grey novel. There were children scrambling in the shade and leaping from clap-board…

  • Illustrated Poem: Oh Lightning Bug, You Firefly

  • After the Blast

    by D. Ryan Lafferty It was high noon on a Sunday when we heard the rumble. Somewhere, far off in the distance, the subtle boom, deceivingly soft for its magnitude, unimaginable to the poor souls who barely paid it any mind. This clarion call, the bedroom alarm of the doomsday clock, a harbinger foretelling a…

  • Learned Helplessness

    by D. Ryan Lafferty Landon was in the fourth grade the first time that his father noticed the interference. It was a small thing, barely perceivable, but he did perceive it, and it didn’t sit right with him. Not at all. If he were to think about it, and now he often did; he could…

  • All My Children

    by D. Ryan Lafferty On a hot crowded bus on his way to work, Silas slid into the first seat just behind the driver. One block later, the hydraulic hiss punctuated the calm, and on walked his neighbor, James. James was a proud little man and Silas, well, Silas was often forgettable. So forgettable that…

  • Mending Fences

    By D. Ryan Lafferty At one time, Carol and Amy were the closest of friends. Carol the scatter brained type, was a wide-eyed optimist with a passion for the world and everything in it. Each moment was an adventure and she’d marvel at even the most mundane facets of ordinary life. She loved softball, jogging,…

  • The Liar

    By D. Ryan Lafferty It slipped out so easily the first time, he nearly laughed out loud.  David had surprised himself.  For a mere fraction of a second, his mind lurched forward to correct the misstatement out of guilt, like one would reach to catch a falling glass knocked over the precarious edge of a…