Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

what I was looking for. I took one of the poems. I'm sorry."
    "I know. I left it there on the desk for three days now for you to find. We can burn it tonight if you like. Make a little fire on the beach." He held something out to Ben. "Taste this."
    Ben Blue tasted chocolate made from cocoa beans warmed by the Fijian sun, ground by hand, sweetened with sugar cane and the air that travelled thousands of miles over the Pacific to reach this tiny island. "Oh."
    Gabriel took his chin, tilted his face up. "Your eyes are the exact blue of the Koro Sea just before a storm. Did you know that?"
    ~ Excerpt from Rolling Stone Magazine Interview, April, 2012, titled GABRIEL ARCHULETA IS A LIAR
    Coatlalopeuh Poem for Gloria Anzaldua
    I rise hard and strong from among the alien gods
    A string of human hearts between my breasts
    Milk and blood are my arrows and shield
    Leave your lukewarm desires behind and come with me
    Heart hungry woman
    Gabriel pulled the mosquito netting aside and climbed out of bed. He was back in five minutes with a mug full of coffee. He took a sip, handed the mug to Ben. "What do you need to do today, Coatlalopeuh?"
    Ben smiled at him, swung his legs off the bed. "The new grinders are set up in the chocolate house. I might run some beans through, see how they work. Annabelle is bringing the design the kids drew for the wrappers. And I've got those coffee seedlings to plant on the hill."
    "Whatever makes you happy. I've got to write for a few hours. Come get me at lunchtime, okay? Maybe we can go fishing this afternoon."
    He looked like a tiger, Ben thought, bare feet silent on the wooden floors. Amber eyes were turned toward the paper on his desk.
    THE END
    Author bio: Visit Sarah's blog and her website You can contact her at [email protected] .
    ****

LIFE IN CHAOS
    by Kathleen Hayes

    Shit. You always think there's plenty of time, plenty of chances. Staring down at 20% survival odds has made me rethink a lot of things. I wish I had come out of the closet instead of letting him leave, wish I'd been more willing to rock the boat before it started to sink. Maybe he meant it when he said he'd still be there for me, still be my friend .
    ~ Julia

    genre: contemporary
    tags: hurt-comfort; reunited; illness; coming out; family drama; no sex; tear jerker
    word count: 11,265
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    LIFE IN CHAOS
    by Kathleen Hayes
    " We make our lives out of chaos and hope and love." – Stephen Nathan
    CHAPTER 1
    The gravel scraped on my shoes as I climbed the steps up to the lookout at the top of Mount Bonnell. It was close to sunset, and on any other day the small park would have been crowded with picture takers, couples, and outdoors enthusiasts. It was about to start raining though, so the park had pretty much cleared out. When I reached the top, I took the left-hand trail. It would lead me to where I could look out over the lake and not be hemmed in by short stone walls and a wooden pavilion.
    As I sat there, staring out over the waters of Lake Austin, the coming storm rolled steadily towards me. In the thin sunset light, the sky seemed to turn an odd orange-green color that I have only ever seen watching Texas thunderstorms. The air had a staticy ozone feel to it and I could almost taste the electricity when I breathed deeply. Purple clouds roiled in the distance, casting night-like shadows over everything in their path. Lightning shot in all directions within the clouds, like it couldn't figure out which way the earth lay. Occasionally a bolt would get it right and shoot out towards the ground, thunder following immediately as if cheering at its success.
    Eventually the clouds swelled and seemed to hover at the tipping point, until all at once they exploded with a torrent of water. The fierce rain blinded me to the city beyond and to the lake in front of me. I let it pelt my skin and soak through my clothes. The power, the sheer magnitude of what was barraging me, overtook my senses. Compared to this natural phenomenon, I was tiny, a mere speck in relation to the cosmos. The chaos and pains of my life were overpowered and lost their sharp edges.
    The storm lasted only a few minutes. That's how it is here - fierce, intense power, but over and gone before you can snap your fingers. As the rain eased off and the full dark of night fell, all the things I had been holding at bay rushed back into me and I doubled over in pain.
    Finally, I took out my phone and did what I had been trying to build up