At the end of a bad day, desperate to get away from it all, I said Fuck it and stuck my head in the sand. 

All the way in. Well past my ears. 

Know what I saw? 

Cigarette butts and plastic bags. 

Lunging upward for air, lungs bursting, I overshot the surface and landed atop the clouds. Right next to the moon. 

He was taking a well-deserved smoke break.

Moon said, Looks like you got things on your mind.

I asked him, Is the world ending? 

Well, Bub, Moon shrugged, it sure as hell ain’t going back to the beginning.

Bonus Story: Xanax and Legumes (100-word story)

© Copyright 2021 by Jim Latham

Photo by Jill Warvel on Unsplash