Brisé
by Kenneth Weene
There is great lightning without rain. “A bad omen,” says the crone.
A deer runs through the camp and entangles his antlers. “A good omen.” pronounces the man who slit the beast’s throat.
Stramboli says nothing. He dreams. He is on the high wire. Crowds crane to watch. Gracefully he dances: pirouette and grand jeté, passé, and grand-plié. The crowd thunders approval.
He hasn’t had such a dream since his fall. What use have the paralyzed for dreams?
Stramboli lets the balance pole drop. It falls away. He follows. “Death,” he wonders, “is it a good omen or bad?”
Image adapted from Tightrope Walking by Wiros.
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A New Englander by upbringing and inclination, Kenneth Weene is a teacher, psychologist, and pastoral counselor by education. Ken’s short stories and poetry have appeared in numerous publications including Sol Spirits, Palo Verde Pages, Vox Poetica Clutching at Straws, Legendary, Sex and Murder Magazine, The New Flesh Magazine, The Santa Fe Literary Review, Daily Flashes of Erotica Quarterly, Bewildering Stories and A Word With You Press. Ken’s novels, Widow’s Walk and Memoirs From the Asylum, are published by All Things That Matter Press. To learn more about Ken’s writing, visit: http://www.authorkenweene.com.
What inspires you to write and keep writing?
Life itches and torments me like pesky flies. Annoyed, I pick up a paper to slap at the buzzing and often whack myself on the head. Each whack is another story. At least having half-blinded myself, I have learned to not wave the pencil about. I will, however, write on until the last gray cell has retreated and there are no longer these strange ideas demanding my feeble efforts.