The Summer of ‘98-A Short Story

I remember the summer of ‘98 like it was yesterday. The sun was a relentless tyrant, and the air was thick with the smell of cut grass and dusty sneakers. The neighborhood kids, a motley crew of preteens with scraped knees and boundless energy, spent every waking hour playing street soccer in front of old Mr. Atley’s house. He hated us, and we loved the thrill of annoying him. He was the grumpy Goliath, and we were the plucky Davids, a soccer ball our only sling. The best player on the street was Kevin. He was a year older than the rest of us, with a mop of sandy hair and a cocky grin. He was faster, more agile, and had a way of dribbling the ball that made it seem like an extension of his own foot. He knew it, too, and his constant showboating drove me crazy. I was a decent player, but Kevin always found a way to make me look like a clumsy oaf, stealing the ball from me with a quick flick of his ankle or nutmegging me with a cheeky grin. One day, our game intensified. It was just Kevi...

Starless Sky

The canvas spreads, an endless, charcoal plain,

A heavy vault, indifferent to rain.

No ancient spark, no pinpoint of the lost,

Just velvet darkness, at a certain cost.


The absent fire, the hidden, empty space,

Reflects no legend, knows no god's embrace.

No pinprick hope, no distant, silver gleam,

Just the deep quiet of a forgotten dream.


The city's lesser lights ascend and blur,

A mimic pattern, a metallic stir.

They cannot fill the silence from on high,

Or pierce the hollow of this vacant sky.


It is a blanket, absolute and whole,

That hides the secrets of the waiting soul.

A perfect, dark, and uninterrupted sleep,

A promise neither heaven nor hell keeps.


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