The truth of the matter is . . .

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Welcome To My Blog

To help you select the stories and poetry you might want to read, below is the list of all posts made to my blog since its inception. Posts are listed in chronological order from the first post made on April 18, 2019, until the most recent post (The most recent post appears first on the blog). Please browse the list of posts to find the titles that most intrigue you. Then do one of the following:

1. Place the title of the post in the space beneath the header, “Search This Blog.” With regard to poetry, a post may contain more than one poem. You may have to insert the first two poems listed to find what you want. Then click on search. The posting should appear at the top of the screen for you to read. Or . . .

2. Using the date a particular posting was made, go to the “Blog Archive” to the right of the posts and click on the particular month in which the poem or short story was posted and scroll down until you find what you would like to read. Please note that if you scroll through all the posts on the screen and don’t find what you are looking for, below the last post on the screen, on the right, are the words, “Older Posts.” Click on this and you will find the additional posts made during the particular month you have selected. Scroll through these until you find the story or poem you wish to read.

Enjoy the journey, as you read the creations of my heart and my mind.

Thank you.

Alan

Alan Lowe
Poet and Writer

slolowe@icloud.com

https://slolowe44.blogspot.com/

Routine tasks may become more complicated than they should. They can turn into something you didn’t expect.

You make plans, but then your wife tells you . . .

He’s My . . .

Summer had just begun. The heat was unbearable. I sat at my desk, on Friday morning, staring at the calendar on my iMac. I’ve got to get the cars serviced, I thought. So I called and made an appointment for the following Friday.

Friday arrived. I got up early, went into the kitchen for some juice, and called to Jane. “Jane let’s go. We’re going to be late for our 9:30 am appointment at the car dealership.”

“I’m coming. I’ve got to get the tennis shoes I need to return to the Shoe Emporium at the mall.”

“Does that take priority over getting the cars serviced?” She didn’t respond, and . . .

“My cars going in first. Right?”

“Yeah. Right.”

“And we’re going to Madeleine’s Café for breakfast while they work on my car?”

“That’s the plan, as we’ve always done. Then they’ll service my car.”

“So after my car is finished, Don, I’m going to the mall.”

“But what about me?”

“You? What about you? You’ll just wait in the waiting area for your car to be finished.”

“But what if it takes longer than I want it to?”

“Then go with me to the mall.”

“I don’t want to go to the mall. I want to go home and watch the baseball game. It starts at noon. Then the dealership will call me when my car is ready and you can drive me back to get it.”

“What am I, your chauffeur?”

“Well, no. But I thought you were my kind, loving wife.”

“I was, but I’m not your servant.”

“Was? You’re impossible, Jane.”

“And you’re unreasonable, Don. Maybe it’s time for a divorce.”

“Divorce? We’ve been married twenty-nine years. How can you think about a divorce?”

“If not a divorce, will you give me a raise?”

“A raise? You don’t work for me.”

“I don’t? I’ll show you my job description.”

“Job what?”

“You heard me—job description—that is, cook, maid, waitress, seamstress, and sex provider . . .”

“Sex what?”

“Provider, my dear.”

“I thought you enjoyed our bed fun.”

“No comment.”

“No . . . comment?”

“That’s right.”

“This conversation is getting out of hand, Jane.”

“Then talk to my lawyer.”

“You’re not serious, are you?”

“Here’s his card?”

“How long have you been seeing him?”

“For over for six months.”

“You’re kidding. Why so long?”

“He’s my . . . sex provider!”

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Marriage is meant to be forever. But in many cases, it doesn’t last.

I felt I knew what to do. I had to be sure . . .

You Heard, You Saw, And You Believed

I thought you heard, you saw, and you believed.

But by my very words, you were not deceived.

In truth, I wanted to tell you what I’d done.

However, I knew trying to do so wouldn’t be fun.

I wanted to run, but stood frozen in place.

Then I saw a smirk upon your face.

You looked me straight in the eyes,

And told me my cheating was no surprise.

You said your lawyer would be in touch with me

And our marriage and my money would be history.

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Relationships have their ups and downs. Sometimes you must make extraordinary efforts to make them work.

You ask your significant other for clarification so you can make things right. But the answer you get is bewildering: . . .

Do I Need To Say Anything More?

“Oh dear!” I screamed at my wife.

“I’m not sure what to do with the rest of my life.”

“Well,” she responded, “You’ll always have me as your partner in crime.”

“So, does that mean if I get caught, you’ll do the time?”

“Blame rests on both our shoulders, so if you’ll go along, that will be fine.”

“And if I don’t, will you out me to the cops, so the light in my world will no longer shine?”

“You’ll get what you deserve, my forever husband, the man of my dreams.”

“What I deserve is your complete faith in me, but you’re wavering, it seems.”

“You’ll have my faith, but first you must earn my trust.”

“So let me know how I need to behave, so I can do what I must.”

“You have to be perfect in every way and always walk a straight line.

I’ll draft an agreement you’ll have to sign.”

“I can’t believe what you’re saying and it makes absolutely no sense to me.”

“Then maybe our future together is clouding over and is not meant to be.”

“How can you say that? We’ve been married for more than twenty-five years.”

“Then agree to all my terms and conditions and don’t shed any tears.”

“But why does it always have to be your way?

Sometimes you have to listen to what I have to say.”

“What you have to say no longer plays a part in what I believe.”

“But we agreed to this relationship for better or worse, so don’t I deserve a reprieve?”

“A reprieve? Is that some sought of joke, when you did what you did to me?”

“Did what I did to you? I don’t know what you’re talking about? What can that be?”

“Look at my dead body lying on the floor by the door.

Do I need to say anything more?”

Sunday, September 29, 2024

You find the one to make your life whole again. But do you have the courage to make it happen?

Is this the right time? You think . . .

I Have So Much To Prove

You look at me in way that makes me quiver.

I stand in awe, as if on the bank of a mighty river.

I want to approach you, but choose not to do so.

It is my choice and, right of wrong, I don’t know.

You flash a smile that makes me think I have a chance.

Should I leap into the unknown to find romance?

Worlds apart, we are different in every way.

My mind is mush, words buried within, I don’t know what to say.

So I bow my head and pray for the courage to make the right move.

Having failed many times before, I have so much to prove.

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Trust is a trait leaders should exemplify. But when you listen to their words, what you hear is not always what you see.

When trust is broken, the head of the pack may have to face being . . .

Defeated

When the last bell rings, the last words spoken,

Time has run out, an oath broken.

When the crowd before you believes you lied,

With your actions and words they you defied.

A leader, you broke the trust of everyone.

Now you have to pay the price for what you’ve done.

Bow your head in shame and walk away.

It is no longer your right to serve today.

When the last bell rings, the last words spoken,

Time has run out, an oath broken.

Saturday, September 7, 2024

I’m unsure about how to make my way down life’s confusing path. But I know it’s possible.

And so, I envision a better future. It is my . . .

Dreamscape

To open my eyes

in a world

of misconception.

To dance

to a cherished tune,

a melody of life,

without deception.

To open my eyes

and walk

with trust.

To sing

a song of praise

in hope of a future

without lust.

To open my eyes

and embrace

the day.

To dream—

dream of peace

and happiness,

as I travel life’s highway.

Friday, August 30, 2024

Making your way in life may not be easy. You look for answers.

Time marches on, and it becomes evident . . .

It Is Difficult To Know What To Do

It is difficult to know what to do with the emptiness in a world of dreams.

It is difficult to know what to do with the loneliness in a world where love

can be found.

It is difficult to know what to do when you turn right but should have turned left.

It is difficult to know what to do as the years pass, but nothing changes.

It is difficult to know what to do when the doors that should have opened

remain closed.

It is difficult to know what to do when the people you knew and respected

have gone to a better place.

It is difficult to know what to do when clouds form in a mind once able

to see the future.

It is difficult to know what to do when you don’t know what to do.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Growing old is something we accept. However, it comes with challenges.

We play in this world of uncertainty, and navigate down a path for . . .

Old Folks

The old folks in the audience clap in praise.
The amazing show leaves them in a daze.

The actors’ performances make them see
Exactly what is meant to be.

They celebrate being drawn into the story.
It lets them bask in the actors’ glory.

They laugh and cry with the intent of each scene.

They enjoy the powerful portrayal of both king and queen.

And when their enjoyment at last abates,
They rush to the bathroom as if on roller skates.

They love the actors up on the stage floor,
But appreciate getting to the toilet in time even more.

Friday, August 9, 2024

Bright lights illuminate our path. But they also can cast shadows upon our life.

We question what is happening. And we become enmeshed in . . .

An Aura Of Mystery

We looked

out the window

and couldn’t believe

what we saw.

Three companions,

joined at the hip,

wondered about what

we’d just witnessed.

We’d never seen

anything like it before.

We looked

at the each other

and bowed

our heads

in reverence

to the aura—

a colorful life force

surrounding us.

What it meant,

we had no idea—

an aura of mystery.

Had we caused it?

We didn’t know.

This luminous radiation

grew stronger,

as we cringed

in fear,

kneeling

before the window.

Was there a message

being shared with us?

Did it portend

a future

of happiness

or misery?

Maybe we were meant

to look inward,

not outward,

to find the answer.

And so we did,

taking a chance

that following the light

would lead

to a new day

and a new path

of discovery.

We opened

the window

to our souls

and embraced

what we saw.