Poem of the Masochist

---

PUBLISHED SHORT STORIES

---

*

“Sure beats the alternative,” said James.

“What, to be mortal? Let me tell you boy, mortality is a weakness. You must protect yourself and your family from certain death by living far less of an adventurous life than you could if you were invincible. You can’t eat the wrong thing, you can’t love the wrong person, you can’t even drink to excess without dire consequences to your organs or decisions. And the worst of it all, you feed monsters like us in the end. Your only real purpose in life.”

“I have to get back to the kitchen…”

*

MADISON HOLLOW

NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK FROM BARNES AND NOBLE.

*

“Well asshole, no one’s ever whipped Massah back. But you went even further. Now we have a dead punisher. Turns out he wasn’t eternal, he was human. Which if you ask me, is all the more sick,” she said.

“Well…” I started. But she interrupted me.

“Silence. Lucifer wants to meet you.”

“Wait- what?”

*

KING OF DEMONS

AVAILABLE IN PAPERPACK FROM BARNES AND NOBLE

---

*

Alice and Sayla had dressed comfortably. Alice in yoga-type leggings and a gray sweater, Sayla in a floral white dress, that was simply dropped to the floor and forgotten as she jumped on the couch, pressed herself back and brought her feet to the cushion and rested her hands on her knees.

Alice sat cross-legged and didn’t yet feel comfortable showing off the goods to just anyone yet.

Destiny saw this resistance and said…

*

THE VERY PRIVATE MINX CLUB

AVAILABLE IN PAPERPACK FROM BARNES AND NOBLE.

---

PUBLISHED COLLECTIONS

---

*

A Step Back

By Emmanuel Williams

December 24, 2020

Take a step back.

America is struggling.

America is dying.

America is poor.

The United States of America is defined by its people. People who are struggling with the normal demands of life while choosing how to deal with a very abnormal pandemic. Abnormal because the American government hasn’t come to their aid when it mattered the most. Today, a couple of days before Christmas 2020, the struggle has been ongoing since March, and there is no end in sight. And there are many areas of the population that are constantly deteriorating.

It’s time to take a step back and realize that we are not getting better at handling this crisis. Whether the problem is elected officials, partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill, or confusion over the logistics of protective equipment, newly available vaccines, personnel and available space at hospitals, the solutions still don’t heal America quick enough. At a time when the death rate is so high, yesterday was the second highest number of deaths since the start of the pandemic. The exact number? 

3,000 in a single day. 

It doesn’t look like we are getting better at this.

The idea that we have to wait until the 20th of January just for Presidential leadership to be up to the task of what has to be done is so much a fact that we can expect more of a struggle, more death, and more poverty between now and then.

The next president has a lot to correct from the current administration. But make no mistake, our current American struggle is singularly the fault of the incumbent president of the United States who has failed to uphold the duties of the office on nearly every occasion there was to align with its highest values.

But what does an American do?

We have to do something else until January 20th. Something that will save lives. Something that will ease our struggle. Something… as a People.

*

THE BEST OF HAKPO

A CURATED COLLECTION OF POSTS GATHERED FROM EMMANUEL’S 2021 BLOG

AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK FROM BARNES AND NOBLE.

---