Jenna’s Somethin’ Better, a non-heartwarming tale about victims of the South’s opiate epidemic; and a poetry collection, High Horse Days, which centers around addiction and its collateral damage, are works in progress.

Jenna’s Somethin’ Better

Jenna is a grandmom who is very ill and has a grown daughter addicted to opiates.

Excerpt:

Ma’am, I’m so sorry, we aren’t authorized to treat withdrawal here, she’s gonna to have to go someplace else,” the ED nurse seemed genuinely sorry. “I’ve called Social Work, they’ll be here shortly to discuss her options”.

Carrie’s options were few, she had no health insurance and everyone knows rehab and detox centers aren’t cheap. The medical staff was kind enough to let her stay and finish the saline drip. For the next two days, the four of them camped out in the hallway outside of Jenna’s little yellow bathroom, praying hard and doling out small doses of Xanax and large doses of Pedialyte–while Carrie hugged her pillows and writhed in pain on the cold tile floor. She begged for death. Jenna futilely tried to lighten the mood by commenting on how this was the saddest, worst slumber party ever.

High Horse Days

High Horse Days, a poetry collection years in the making…………

Excerpt:

High Horse Days
One sniff
would reveal
if it was going to be a High Horse Day.

High Horse Days
lacked the smell of semi-homemade food
and recently-used cleaning supplies.

High Horse Days
a super sibling secret hidden
from the world,
and Him.

High Horse Days
required little fixers, with Seal Team Six precision
making coffee, fixing her usually pretty face,
searching and destroying the hidden half-full bottles before
He got home.