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

  • A Lesson in Waiting

    (reproduced here in the format of the original column from People Papers July 2024) In July, the world comes alive and time seems to slow down just a little. Sailboats and sunshine float on the horizon. Lately I’ve been enjoying a classic poem, “If” by Rudyard Kipling and “if” I may give you some homework… Read more

  • Auriga

    (Reproduced here in the format of the original column from People Papers June 2024) June is a time for the celebration of some of our greatest accomplishments. It is a time when we feel the most alive and the world is filled with sunshine and warmth. The living is easier in June and our sights… Read more

  • Dream Makers

    When we go to bed, they are just arriving, hot coffee in their hands, stretching and yawning as the machinery in the warehouse switches on. Deep in the heart of the cerebellum, they rush into action, for they are pros, each waving scanners and tapping single handedly on keypads, racing from stack to stack. They are honey bees,… Read more

  • Taken With a Grain of Salt

    In a small town, just like this one, and in a time very much like today, Manny found himself struggling with a freshly dawning thought. A notion so subtle, it was almost impossible to put his finger on it. Perhaps, “found himself” isn’t the right word, well maybe, not just yet. He could feel it… Read more

  • Divine Geometry

    How is it that the bend of her tail fit so perfectly in the crook of my arm?Her nose, chin, and whiskers tucked into the palm of my hand.That long shaggy ear draped over the side of her sweet, aging, puppy dog face.Her soft coat like an heirloom throw, pearled and even;handwoven patterns aligned in… Read more

  • All We Can Bear

    I remember the day my mother cried in the mirror after her first mastectomy. The look in her eye, the awkward shuffle of her arms as she tried to blouse the soft white cotton tee that lay fallen flat against the left side of her chest. Her pain, so raw in those tears; we felt… Read more

Here you will find full text versions of my poems. Use the thumbnail scroller to preview my poems and click on any to post to view the full work.
Feel free to like, share, and comment! Enjoy!

  • A Lesson in Waiting

    (reproduced here in the format of the original column from People Papers July 2024) In July, the world comes alive and time seems to slow down just a little. Sailboats and sunshine float on the horizon. Lately I’ve been enjoying a classic poem, “If” by Rudyard Kipling and “if” I may give you some homework… Read more

  • Auriga

    (Reproduced here in the format of the original column from People Papers June 2024) June is a time for the celebration of some of our greatest accomplishments. It is a time when we feel the most alive and the world is filled with sunshine and warmth. The living is easier in June and our sights… Read more

  • Dream Makers

    When we go to bed, they are just arriving, hot coffee in their hands, stretching and yawning as the machinery in the warehouse switches on. Deep in the heart of the cerebellum, they rush into action, for they are pros, each waving scanners and tapping single handedly on keypads, racing from stack to stack. They are honey bees,… Read more

  • Taken With a Grain of Salt

    In a small town, just like this one, and in a time very much like today, Manny found himself struggling with a freshly dawning thought. A notion so subtle, it was almost impossible to put his finger on it. Perhaps, “found himself” isn’t the right word, well maybe, not just yet. He could feel it… Read more

  • Divine Geometry

    How is it that the bend of her tail fit so perfectly in the crook of my arm?Her nose, chin, and whiskers tucked into the palm of my hand.That long shaggy ear draped over the side of her sweet, aging, puppy dog face.Her soft coat like an heirloom throw, pearled and even;handwoven patterns aligned in… Read more

  • All We Can Bear

    I remember the day my mother cried in the mirror after her first mastectomy. The look in her eye, the awkward shuffle of her arms as she tried to blouse the soft white cotton tee that lay fallen flat against the left side of her chest. Her pain, so raw in those tears; we felt… Read more