Creative Writing

  • “Jim and the Terrible Think-So Machine”(A whimsical caution, in a Seuss-ish scene) By: Emmitt Owens (Index #04062026) In a town not too far, not too loud, not too grim,Lived a Think-So Machine in the mind of young Jim.It whirred and it clicked, it assumed and it guessed,And it always told Jim that he knew what… Read more

  • THE POSSUM BRANCH SERIESEpisode 1: PILOT: The Squirrel SiegeBy: Emmitt Owens (Index #12012025)    They don’t train you in radio school for nights like these. Mostly because nobody goes to radio school anymore. You just show up, prove you can avoid dead air, and pray someone remembers to pay you.   I’m broadcasting from a shed… Read more

  • Most people would have let the first name slip go. I let it file itself away instead and three hours later, a birthday post, a friends list, and one last name she never mentioned cracked the whole thing open. Read more

  • The Me-Me-Me Monsters

    The Me-Me-Me MonstersBy: Emmitt Owens(Index #12042025) In a town near the Valley of Didn’t-You-Know,Lived folks who were stars of their own one-man shows.They’d puff up their chests with a me-me-me boom,Till they sucked every ounce of attention in rooms. They’d never ask questions like “How was your day?”For that would mean listening — what? No… Read more

  • The Ballad of the Perfect PotatoExistential/Psychological/Systems HorrorBy: Emmitt Owens(Index #12272025) Look at my spud, so pristine and so round,Perfectly shaped, not a blemish or brown,Grows exactly on schedule, never strays from the row,But ask what it dreams of? Man, I just don’t know. See, I had a vision, a masterful plan,Gonna cultivate me the world’s… Read more

  • “Exhale”Part III of a three-part fictional character study examining miscommunication, intrusive thought, and self-reflection.The Truth Behind The InkBy: Emmitt Owens (Index #01042026) [Verse 1]You know, I didn’t write “SEEN” ’cause I lived it—that ain’t me,I wrote it ’cause I witnessed what unchecked pain can be,Dudes who turn rejection into Reddit threads and spite,So I sketched that… Read more

  • The Trilogy Part II: Seen

    The Trilogy Part II: “SEEN”Part II of a three-part fictional character study examining miscommunication, intrusive thought, and self-reflection.A Multisyllabic, Whimsy, Stream of Consciousness Rhyme. (A character study of emotional immaturity)By: Emmitt Owens(Index #01042026) [Verse 1]Texted this bitch Tuesday, she ain’t answer ’til Friday night“Sorry, been so busy”—nah, you just ain’t think I’m rightFor your stuck-up… Read more

  • Me vs. Me: The Scroll

    Me vs. Me: The ScrollBy: Emmitt Owens(Index #01052026)    The blue glow painted my face as I scrolled through another profile. Single. The word sat there like an invitation I couldn’t accept, couldn’t ignore, couldn’t do anything with except stare at it until my eyes burned.     My thumb hovered over the message button, frozen in… Read more

  • Tuesday in My Brain

    Tuesday in My BrainFor My Grandchildren: Silas, Elijah & Theo(Index # 09112025) In the town of the teapots I painted a shoe,With pickles for buttons and some glittery glue.I danced with a doorknob, I sang to a chair,I juggled three penguins while brushing my hair.Pull the moon backward and tie it with shoestrings,With a bubblegum… Read more

  • Chill’n’FillBook 3: Episode 2Presence, Worth, and the Heart of SuccessWritten by: Emmitt Owens    Tuesday night at Chill n’Fill was settling into its familiar rhythm when I looked up from restocking the candy display to see our one-eyed polar bear mascot in its latest incarnation. Bob had outdone himself this time—the bear now sported what… Read more