Written by: Leni Sosa   In the words of Viktor E. Frankl, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”   Stone, bone, iron, bronze and steel, used to wage war, build empires, and control the masses in Its name. These sharp remnants of the past lay deep […]

Written by: Leni Sosa   But in the knowledge that it is futile to try and turn back the clock – there’s freedom. Freedom from what we think we should be and freedom from self-criticism and doubt. And freedom from perfection. That’s massive. It’s that boulder that’s been weighing you down. Use your arms, use […]

Written by: Leni Sosa   There’s no magic pill. There’s no wonder cure. There’s no liquid breakfast or amount of transcendental meditation or mindfulness. There’s no hike long enough or berry-filled oatmeal bowl big enough. The clock goes in one direction. Or, at least, that’s what we have to contend with until we can surf […]

Written by: Leni Sosa   All he had to do was cross. One step. One step and he was on the Other Side. He had tried to look through the gateway into the other dimension to the west. He thought he could see it all – the black mountains and little structures and insect-like creatures […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings   He found it in a North Dakota antique shop. It was the first open establishment he’d seen for a stretch and he was dying for a smoke. He hoped there’d be a lighter inside. Then he saw it and couldn’t take his eyes off of it. It […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings   You don’t need it. But I want it. Are you sure? Yes. Because it’s sharp. Yes. That means you’ll depend on it. But that’s what it’s for, isn’t it? No… it’s a tool. You’re the weapon. You start out with this when you’ve got so much to […]

  Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings   His pride and joy. I can’t stand the prick but there’s no doubt about it … he can restore cars like nobody’s business. It looks brand-spanking new. Mint, how good it looks. Look at these details. I’ve always loved this car. You’d think I’d hate them […]

  Leni resides in Ontario and thinks about moving to Canada’s east coast – but then remembers that hell can come in the form of a long, cold winter. She’s an expert on African handshakes and isn’t afraid to get dirty. Leni loves things that go bump in the night, comics, historical fantasy (especially tales […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings   Her skin was a rich caramel and the texture of tough leather. She wore a blue fabric, which had simply been wrapped around her with two corners tied over one shoulder. It grazed the floor and, I would come to see when she walked, that it hid […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings   What are you doing in the closet? I’m thinking. In the closet? Yes. It’s too loud. It’s just too loud. But we’re the only ones here. Yes, but it’s just too loud. I can see what you’re thinking. See what I’m thinking? You want me to be […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings   It bothered her. She couldn’t fight how commercial it had all become and she missed what it once was: families gathered for a night together. Games were played, and stories were told in candlelight. The story of the Lord’s birth brought her so much delight. A real […]

  Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings   Jackie Frost had sold Mount Crumpet after purchasing it from the Grinch. Her father had forbid her to go. Now she wished she’d listened. The South Pole was the same old thing…only she was homesick. After what happened, she had decided that she needed a new […]

  Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings “So. What are we doing for your birthday this year?” “We are doing nothing. Absolutely nothing. And if you do anything I am going to be really angry. I just want rest. I just want quiet. I just want peace. If you want to gift me something, […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings   “Are you alright.”, she says. It can’t be taken as a question. After all, she knows that I know she really would rather be lied to. “Can I call someone?” I’m silent. She’s desperate to keep talking, but my mind is fuzzy and I just want her […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings Warning: This is written from the perspective of a serial killer, so reader beware. This isn’t for everyone. I apologize, but I’ve read too much about the topic this year in educational materials … and far too much Stephen King and Poe. This is an ode to them […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings Wake up the nation There’s no time to waste We can’t roll back the clock We’ll be choosing our fate It’s no longer an option You can’t look away It’s time to step up and fight hate If you believe your Country’s worth saving We decide how time’s […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings She’s soaked from walking in the rain. Running to the car or holding up the umbrella are next to impossible today. Her eyes are fixed on her vehicle, until a man dashes to his car in seconds to avoid getting wet. She manages to swallow her envy and […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings Excuse me. (Pause) Excuse me. Yes? How much is that? This one? No, that one. This, my boy, is worth far more than what you can afford. How much? You want a number? Yes. (Pause) It’s not for sale. What? What do you mean it’s not for sale? […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings I came to you softly like a cradle song. Your eyes and ears took me in, and little hands held on. I burrowed my way into your heart and then took root, and so once more my seed bore something new. I am the gateway to limitless journeys […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings *Please note that the following has substantial profanity, and please keep in mind that I’m not doing the talking.   Where am I? Here. Blacked out. Where did everyone go? Right, I kicked them out. Why did I kick them out again…right: they get on my fuckin’ nerves. […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings Okay, folks, give me what you’ve got. Everyone’s working on Maine coverage. So let’s get that out of the way so we can put that one aside. How many dead? 31. Stay on that. This one has been gold. No one expects this in Maine…Florida yes, but Maine…You […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings It’s September, and it is very cold. A wee thing shivers by a concrete corner. She is five and afraid, but she doesn’t look down; instead she watches and postures herself, determined to be brave. She has a coat on, but it is too light for this kind […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings I had pulled a 16-hour shift and walked home in that storm. I was soaked through and through. Even though the rest of me was shivering, my feet were burning. Eventually, I managed to get the key into the keyhole, but not before ‘today’s damned special’ tore its […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings Hey bud. (silence) Mind if I sit down? (silence) It’s hard to be in there, right? All those people… (silence) …sucking up all the air in there… (silence) …while you can barely breath…even out here, right? (silence) I get it. (silence) They pat you on the head and […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings Enough. You want me to believe I’m nothin’, Janey. How did you put it? “Don’t fantasize about a life you just aren’ meant to have, Isabel. You can’t make it on your own and you’re not goin’ anywhere.” That’s what you said, Janey. That’s what you say every […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings The inflection of every sound is unique. The volume, intensity, pitch, and timbre produced by the movement, density, and temperature of Lake Ontario from one interval in time to the next. This confirms the Lake’s abhorrence of ‘permanent cadence’ and when I think I’ve figured out its pattern […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings “Not with a bang, but with a whimper.” ~ T.S. Eliot The centuries came and went and we were content living in denial; all too damned stupid to wake up. It had been here for centuries: persecution and deception, war, famine and pestilence. No one should have been […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings I remember those shiny years. I carried the weight of every thought and expectation but my own. Then came the first disaster – and after that it was easy. I was a source of disappointment, but in escaping their dreams, I had been released – and delivered to […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings I’d been looking out the window since first light. It had been sunny, but after three hours, a darkened sky and rain decided to scare the sun into hiding. I felt relaxed at first; because I had told myself that all I had to do was to walk […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings My car smoked up and it took the day to fix. These clouds were the beginnings of a storm. Once I was on the road again, I blasted the music to drown out the noise of the forceful wind and hail. I eventually noticed the car was running […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings “You can do this. You can do this. Just one more bloody day.” “You know you’re talkin’ to yourself. Got a smoke?” “No. I don’t smoke.” “Right.” “I don’t. And it’s rude to startle people like that.” “I was here…not my bad you didn’t see me. So why […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings I took my laptop to a coffee shop to get Wi-Fi because I no longer had internet, or electricity for that matter; it’s warmer and more cheerful at the coffee shop and I can throw on my headphones and watch Netflix on my laptop – which happens to […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings She delivered the most apologetic ‘no’ I’d ever heard, but then placed me on hold and returned to ask if I could come at 3:30 p.m. She had found a way to squeeze me in. I was to call back if I decided it worked for me. The […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings Alright. I’ll tell you everything, from start to finish. Can I get something to drink, though? A coffee … or even just water? Okay. We were both invited but I was there to make Charlie look good. I had no intention of going. I hate getting involved in […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings Every night when I put you to sleep and every morning when I collect you from bed, and on those days when I wake up to you breathing beside me, still asleep, peacefully living in your beautiful head. Your nose moves ever so slightly as you take in […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings “Houston, we’ve got a problem.” “What now?!” “We’ve just been interrupted by an American messenger ship and Carter here received a space-o-gram from his momma.” “So? Why the hell is that a problem?” “Well, see here, you don’t know Carter’s momma. My momma isn’t an easy woman, but […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings It takes one person to plant the seed and sometimes they’re even able to make it take root, but an idea or movement to better the world can only truly flourish with the support of many. A collective can affect law, bring down corruption, demand justice, and make […]

Written by: Leni Sosa; Permanence of Wings What do we have here, Miss Fancy Paper Bag. Why all the bloody tissue?! Wait. Not bad. Not bad at all. Who would forget these here? They are the kind I see on all those downtown fools waiting in line forever outside in the cold for that new […]

I sit. The sky is falling all around me. But I sit. My feet are firm against the ground. There is the Pain, of course. There is the Pressure. And I squeeze my eyes shut until they hurt, for I smell Fear. There are the questions: How long until my body gives in? How much […]

I traveled to the depths of my imagination to found myself tending bar…There’s dark raw wood, exposed beams in the ceiling, brown leather booths and extra long picnic tables in the centre, with a few small intimate tables by the window and one single round table.  The brushed metal and wood give the place an […]

The call came in about a week ago and I could barely contain my bladder from the excitement. Nick told me “Come on, bud! It’s time to go. We’ll be in the city in no time!” I can usually understand him but sometimes he tells me stuff and all I can do is stare. He […]

They had no choice but to enter the saloon; that’s where the bastard spent his nights before he became an outlaw and took a pretty red-haired farm girl with him – a girl he was presently charming into leaving with him. He would eventually leave her behind, once she got pregnant, without giving it a […]

Jimmy would have found this funny.  Jimmy. These cops are so nervous, walking back and forth with inflated chests, crossing their arms, stopping to look down at me, to get in my face and ask their questions… all sad intimidation tactics.  Was it for Nucky?  Who sent me? What’d they think if they knew it […]

Robbie lost his wife four months ago and quit taking his medication after the funeral. It hadn’t occurred to him that he could just stop until one day he was about to take a pill and found himself flushing them down the toilet instead. He was just going through the motions these days. Robert wasn’t […]

I tend to overthink things. That’s me. I’ve come to the realization that I probably won’t lose that characteristic. Sometimes it will work for me and sometimes it can really work against me. When it’s working against me, I need to cut myself off. I need to decompress. The thing is, when you tend to […]

He knew better than to walk right into her kitchen when she cooked and so he stood by the entrance of the cramped room. He would have towered over the tiny barefoot woman if he were any closer. She stood on a stool by the oven because she was too short to stir the stew […]

When I was in high school I thought I was in love with two boys: the quintessential stoner and a preppy whose name I can’t even remember. I obviously wasn’t in love with either of them … that position actually belonged to a boy whose name will remain unmentioned! I was in denial. When I […]

Leni Sosa resides in Ontario. She often thinks about moving to Canada’s east coast, but then remembers that hell can come in the form of a long, cold winter. She really digs music, the ocean, peculiar people, dirt, colossal movies, photography, forests (and oddly, lumberjacks), as well as things that go bump in the night, […]

When I was younger I was gullible.  I’m not talking about when I was a little kid because if someone has had a fairly normal upbringing, at that age it’s easy to believe anything.  When I was a very young woman, I would walk around thinking that, generally, everyone told the truth and everyone that […]

I came to you softly like a cradle song, your big eyes taking it in and little hands holding on. I kept you close to me long after the first giggles … long after your last real laugh. You didn’t realize you’d been bitten and made eternal. I am the gateway to limitless journeys with […]

When I was a child I didn’t believe in Santa Claus. At least, I didn’t believe in the Santa Claus with the belly like a bowl full of jelly and the “ho, ho, ho”.  Nope, my mother didn’t buy into Santa. Mom explained that Saint Nicholas was a real person and did a lot of […]

Dear Santa, I hope this letter finds you. I stuck it in their outgoing mail pile when they weren’t home. I also hope you’re getting lots of rest and enjoying Mrs. C’s amazing Christmas cookies! I miss her Pink Snowballs. Just three more nights for Christmas Eve! It’s been a real adventure for me here. […]