By Sean Dempsey, 08/08/23 Seven year-old Anna was sneaking on her tiptoes to avoid the cottage flooring from creaking as she slipped out into the frosty air of the front porch. She was up remarkably early, startled awake by dark dreams she couldn’t fully remember. The morning light was just starting to dispel the night; […]
Sisyphus
By Sean Dempsey8/1/2023 In ancient lands, where legends dwell,A tale of sorrow I now shall tell.Perceive the stone’s eternal path:To be pushed with mirth, or bathed in wrath. With futile toil, his bane and plight,Sisyphus still strives with all his might.See the stone escape his mortal hand,And tumble downward through the land. A cunning mortal, […]
The Dance
By Sean Dempsey, 07/27/23 Near dusk, the old man sat at a weathered table in the back corner of a busy diner, fumbling awkwardly with metal tongs used to crack his lobster. There was a gentle buzz of conversation in the air all around. It was nearly impossible to distinguish one conversation from another without […]
The Cage
Chapter 1: Minor Annoyances World War II wages in the unseen distance. In a battlefield far to the west, men fight and die. Men collapse in the mud as nations clash: But here, in the dark and godless corner of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Jacob lies in dirty rags on a metal cot. 4:18am, rising […]
The Bishop
By Sean Dempsey, 7/15/23 ‘The lives of the benevolent are perhaps the most besieged.’ The Archbishop of Cheshire whispered madly into the darkness as he made his way between foul-smelling passageways and across dirty streets. Hot tears fell from his eyes and he beat his fists against stone walls as he trudged — almost stumbled […]
Songbirds & Vultures
By Sean Dempsey, 7/15/23 The fact names like Sojourner Truth, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, Oskar Schindler, and Harriet Tubman are famous and revered above others indicate their uniqueness in history. They are anomalies! Mankind is rotten and putrid to its core. The Third Reich was no fluke, nor were the conquistadors, […]
The Pastor
By Sean Dempsey, 7/2/23 The Pastor awoke from a violent dream, and realized he could not move! He desperately tried to will his legs out of bed. He begged his arms to raise from where they sat placidly against the bedsheets. His body lay completely motionless; only his head would yield to his control. Panic […]
Daddy’s Girl
by Sean Dempsey 7/1/23 A father’s care is far from rare,Nor is it soft or warm;But it’s her daddy’s arms a daughter needsTo weather any storm. A father’s kiss is rarely missedBy princess, bug, or child;But though she scorns his failed embrace,He still melts with e’ry smile. A father’s love is sometimes shovedQuite rudely from […]
The Bank
By Sean Dempsey, 7/1/23 The arduous task was done. The property was finally his. It has sapped nearly all John’s energy, but he could now call himself a homeowner. He had a place of his own to plant his flag, to ‘sow his oats’, so to speak. The signatures on the papers were still wet […]
Man’s Cage
To toil gives man purpose. His eyes glisten with fervor at the thought of work and career. Because he is distracted. Because he is caged. A caged man is unencumbered; he has his walls and his routine to keep him company. To keep him happy. To keep him sane. The hamster, too, is happy. His […]