Astral Travel

Aside ~ April 14, 2018 ~ Beyond the Skinny Branches ~ 5 Comments

I feel the life drain out of my body

Depleted of my life force, I wane

What has triggered this self-abandonment

Where do I go inside

It feels like part of me just leaves

Drains off into a void somewhere

Leaving behind a shell

My skin hanging over my bones

My mind tangled and blank at once

My breath contained and compressed

The familiar iron wall in my gut

Shut, closed off from the world

Only my breath can bring me back

I breathe, slowly, in and out

I feet the iron wall begin to melt

My brain softens, tight thoughts dissipate

And I feel me begin to fill in

The caverns of my self once again

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: deplete

A Funnel Cake Life

Aside ~ January 7, 2018January 7, 2018 ~ Beyond the Skinny Branches ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes I still think everything would be fine

If I just had a deep-fried Twinkie or two (or three)

Or perhaps a few handfuls of Lilac chocolates

A half dozen chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven

A pint of Moose-tracks or Honey ice cream melted just to the right consistency

A big bag of Jelly Bellys, assorted will do, but plenty of Popcorn, Chocolate Pudding and Cherry, please

Some Banana Cream Pie

A box of salt water taffy

And unlimited funnel cakes

My sugar days are over, alas

But I still long for its soothing, sticky-sweet promises

Carnival-candy dreams for a happy life ahead

The high, the pleasure, the fullness, the love

I miss it all

But I know better

Inspired by The Daily Word Prompt: funnel

Bingeworthy

Aside ~ December 7, 2017 ~ Beyond the Skinny Branches ~ 2 Comments

I lay, spent, numb

My pain suspended in the discomfort

The known sedation of having gorged

More appealing than tolerating my escalating feelings

Too-full-ness better than emptiness

Physically weakening myself somehow feels like power

For an all-too-brief moment

I am calm, the fear and dread are quiet

And being alive in this body feels almost OK

Until it doesn’t, again

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: gorge

Estate Wagon Dreams

Aside ~ November 15, 2017November 15, 2017 ~ Beyond the Skinny Branches ~ Leave a comment

Francine was beyond tired. The kids were being brats in the back seat and she had more important things on her mind than who was putting buggers on who’s arm.

Just one more errand to do, and then she could drive back home, get the kids started on their homework, and head back to the bedroom to have some alone time. She had a new mystery she was dying to start, and she just wanted to lay there, read, and finish the half-eaten jumbo candy cane pole hidden in the bedside table drawer.

Just as she was about to make a left into the library parking lot, some car from the next lane over pulled in front of her. She jammed on the brakes, which sent the kids flying into the back of the front seat and her heart into a flip-flop. After the shock wore off, she rolled down her car window, and honked the horn, yelling after the car, “Freak!!”

Hearing the shrillness of her own voice, she was surprised that that was what had come out of her mouth, but it was the worst thing she could think of to say in front of the kids. She looked back to see if they were OK, only to find that they were actually more than OK. They were cracking up over it all.

As she rolled the window back up, she quickly decided that they could forego the library for today. She gunned the gas, heading straight home to that bed and that candy as soon as humanly possible.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: honk