Trigger Warning
PEOPLE OF A SENSITIVE NATURE ARE ADVISED THAT THE FOLLOWING EXTRACTS EXPLORE FAMILY DYSFUNCTION AND ABUSE ISSUES
Zero Gravity
Excerpt for 28 November, 2021
<chapter> Two continued
“You forgive me?” Siobhan looked up from sucking her straw, carelessly sweeping a panel of hair the colour of leatherwood honey out of her face with one hand.
“You think you deserve to be forgiven?”
“Probably not,” Siobhan sighed. Hilary was deriving too much enjoyment form watching her sister squirm to examine too closely her own complicity in last night’s events. Besides, she was angry, not the least with herself; and not unlike last night, was willing to take her pleasure where she could get it. And at the moment, she was getting it from watching Siobhan grovel.
“You always want what’s mine, Siobhan. You’re so smart and so talented, but for some reason you want to be me. You don’t even seem to care that you’re settling for my leftovers.”
Now it was Siobhan’s turn to be angry. “Your leftovers, is it? Ryan didn’t seem to need any warming up. Took one look at me and he was hot for it. Does he generally get that turned on with you, Hilary?”
Without missing a beat, Hilary reached across the table and slapped Siobhan across the cheek. Mostly it was hurt, because she had noticed that Ryan needed very little warming up. In fact, it had hurt deeply that he seemed so attracted to her sister. She wanted to wound back.
-Gayle J. Greenlea
YOU’RE THE DEAD TO ME
Fourth week -A Waning –
Day Seven
I’m a glassmaker.
I’m a nailmaker, pitman.
I’m our history.
-Paul Brookes
Bios And Links
-Gayle J. Greenlea
is an American-Australian poet and counselor for survivors of sexual and gender-related violence. Her poem, Wonderland”, received the Australian Poetry Prod Award in 2011. She shortlisted and longlisted for the Fish Poetry Prize in 2013, and debuted her first novel, Zero Gravity, at the KGB Literary Bar in Manhattan in 2016. Her work has been published in St. Julian Press, Rebelle Society, A Time to Speak, Headline Poetry and Press, The Wombwell Rainbow, Fevers of the Mind, Kalonopia and The Australian Health Review. #NaNoWriMo Day Twenty-Eight of a new challenge I have called #AFirstDraft to write a haibun/haiku or other poetic form novel or prose novel over the month. Please join Gayle J. Greenlea, Anjum Wasim Dar and myself in writing first draft of a novel over the next Thirty Days. I will feature your first, or how many more drafts of your novel day by day until the end of November.
Trigger Warning
PEOPLE OF A SENSITIVE NATURE ARE ADVISED THAT THE FOLLOWING EXTRACTS EXPLORE FAMILY DYSFUNCTION AND ABUSE ISSUES
Zero Gravity
Excerpt for 28 November, 2021
<chapter> Two continued
“You forgive me?” Siobhan looked up from sucking her straw, carelessly sweeping a panel of hair the colour of leatherwood honey out of her face with one hand.
“You think you deserve to be forgiven?”
“Probably not,” Siobhan sighed. Hilary was deriving too much enjoyment form watching her sister squirm to examine too closely her own complicity in last night’s events. Besides, she was angry, not the least with herself; and not unlike last night, was willing to take her pleasure where she could get it. And at the moment, she was getting it from watching Siobhan grovel.
“You always want what’s mine, Siobhan. You’re so smart and so talented, but for some reason you want to be me. You don’t even seem to care that you’re settling for my leftovers.”
Now it was Siobhan’s turn to be angry. “Your leftovers, is it? Ryan didn’t seem to need any warming up. Took one look at me and he was hot for it. Does he generally get that turned on with you, Hilary?”
Without missing a beat, Hilary reached across the table and slapped Siobhan across the cheek. Mostly it was hurt, because she had noticed that Ryan needed very little warming up. In fact, it had hurt deeply that he seemed so attracted to her sister. She wanted to wound back.
-Gayle J. Greenlea
YOU’RE THE DEAD TO ME
Fourth week -A Waning –
Day Seven
I’m a glassmaker.
I’m a nailmaker, pitman.
I’m our history.
-Paul Brookes
Bios And Links
-Gayle J. Greenlea
is an American-Australian poet and counselor for survivors of sexual and gender-related violence. Her poem, Wonderland”, received the Australian Poetry Prod Award in 2011. She shortlisted and longlisted for the Fish Poetry Prize in 2013, and debuted her first novel, Zero Gravity, at the KGB Literary Bar in Manhattan in 2016. Her work has been published in St. Julian Press, Rebelle Society, A Time to Speak, Headline Poetry and Press, The Wombwell Rainbow, Fevers of the Mind, Kalonopia and The Australian Health Review. 
The Wombwell Rainbow 