The battle-hardened men of the past gaze at us in silent contemplation through clouds of cigarette smoke. The lines on their faces are like medals of honor — wrinkled badges of courage. I run a hand across my own, feeling the smooth surface, and wonder if I’d have it in me.
[11] Contemplation
Published by Justin Deming
I live and teach in the Hudson Valley region of New York. My fiction has appeared in Emerge Literary Journal, Flash Fiction Magazine, Free Flash Fiction, Spelk, The Daily Drunk Magazine, and elsewhere. View more posts