Here, in micro-flash nonfiction, writers make quick work of compelling stories.
Ages and Ages
by Linda McCullough Moore
Every age a different state.
I write to you today from Utah.
Last night, as evening fell
they put me on the train.
That sullen gulley of the day,
old crickets starting up in earnest,
swelter of late summer’s day
no match for sudden, not unwelcome,
wind, and then, a different darkness.
By sun-up, here arrived at one
more age, new state, new bird,
a different governor, some brand
new state motto I will need to learn;
very likely something about freedom,
probably in Latin.
Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash
In the Night
by Matthew Berg
Rising to the handle, my feet planted on the bottom bar. Elbows extending outward as wings. A way is made down the row between the cars. Pushing the cart as a scooter, greater speeds are achieved. Flying, though still on the ground. In the night, by the lights of the store parking lot. The child inside says, Enjoy! I do.
A way is made through it all, flying together, the child and the adult, redefining freedom, and living in the night.
Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash
About the Writers
Linda McCullough Moore is a poet and the author of story collections, a novel, an essay collection, and more than 350 shorter works. Her many awards include the Pushcart Prize. www.lindamcculloughmoore.com
Matthew Berg is a renaissance man: husband, father, working writer, and follower of Jesus. Originally from the Midwest, he is now living in the South.
The Quick Work series is curated by Multiplicity Executive Editor, Kate Whouley.