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

  • 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

  • Living by Lamplight

    Bathed in the subdued glow, seated in the round, on a silken cushion of the finest quality.  Scarves adorn the curvaceous walls, ensconced in gems and glittering jewels, some the size of hand fruits. He hardly notices the muffled chatter from the outside anymore, but when he does, his eyes take on a look reminiscent Read more

  • On Mischief Night in Bordentown

    There was a chill in the air that late October evening. The amber glow of streetlights bathed the sidewalks in a river of shadow; the damp sweet smell of old fallen leaves loomed heavy on the wind.  Tommy Dobbins had just turned 13 the month before, and this was his first mischief night out on Read more

  • Wabi-Sabi

    It was only a couple of years ago, when my first gray hairs started to appear. A novelty at first and then an uneasy sense of dread. The latest sign of aging, of coming undone, cresting that hill, just after receiving those tacky greeting cards, reminiscent of a cartoon funeral, sitting next to my birthday Read more

  • The Earl of Cardigan

    Casual Friday found me sitting in yet another meeting at the office. A gray room, the droning hum of stale central air; the barely audible snick, tick, tapping of laptop keys, and the random neon strobe of wireless mice.  High glass walls look in over a long table dotted with coffee mugs and sweating bottles Read more

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  • 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

  • Living by Lamplight

    Bathed in the subdued glow, seated in the round, on a silken cushion of the finest quality.  Scarves adorn the curvaceous walls, ensconced in gems and glittering jewels, some the size of hand fruits. He hardly notices the muffled chatter from the outside anymore, but when he does, his eyes take on a look reminiscent Read more

  • On Mischief Night in Bordentown

    There was a chill in the air that late October evening. The amber glow of streetlights bathed the sidewalks in a river of shadow; the damp sweet smell of old fallen leaves loomed heavy on the wind.  Tommy Dobbins had just turned 13 the month before, and this was his first mischief night out on Read more

  • Wabi-Sabi

    It was only a couple of years ago, when my first gray hairs started to appear. A novelty at first and then an uneasy sense of dread. The latest sign of aging, of coming undone, cresting that hill, just after receiving those tacky greeting cards, reminiscent of a cartoon funeral, sitting next to my birthday Read more

  • The Earl of Cardigan

    Casual Friday found me sitting in yet another meeting at the office. A gray room, the droning hum of stale central air; the barely audible snick, tick, tapping of laptop keys, and the random neon strobe of wireless mice.  High glass walls look in over a long table dotted with coffee mugs and sweating bottles Read more