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March 25, 2024

Articles by Terry Petersen



[Short] [Poem] [Essay]

Short

Between Chester and Me (2014-01-13) cover story fiction life

Terry Petersen writes with positive thinking in mind. Her motto: Dive through the muck of real life, but surface with a gem.

Courage (2014-03-03) cover story fiction life love

Only the bravest of hearts can offer a gift like this...

Semi-Precious, Like Jade (2014-04-21) cover story fiction life friendship

Full of color, a material that can be both strong and beautiful ...

Playing Nurse for a Frank Sinatra Fan (2014-05-26) cover story fiction life family death

Sometimes you have to leave the past behind. And yet there are other times that what we find in our memories helps us discover again what joy and forgiveness are all about...

The Final Card (2014-06-30) cover story fiction life family death

One of the stages of grief is anger. Sometimes you don't even know its depth until you've acted upon it...

Once Upon A Memory (2014-07-07) fiction life aging memory love

Did Great Grandma Tilly lose a valuable ring? Is this young narrator marrying into a genuinely crazy family?

Among the Rabbits (2014-08-18) cover story fiction life children

Carson has a horrible secret, but he also has a friend. Because of her he has a chance...

Goldilocks: The Inside Story (2014-09-15) fiction fairy tale

Oh, what a girl wouldn't do for something sweet and delicious...

Return of the Goldfinch (2014-11-03) fiction illness

Esther waits for a single gift before she can know peace, and it arrives in an unexpected form.

Shame Squad (2014-11-24) cover story fiction life women

Maybe she doesn't understand what she sees and hears, but she intuits that more is happening than the critical gossip team notices...

Finding Lori Windmoeller (2014-12-08) fiction friendship

A workaholic father faces his daughter's unexpected anger toward him--and that anger's unexpected resolution.

Peace Rose (2015-01-05) cover story fiction family

Resentment moves in a downward spiral, and everything begins to drag you deeper. But with a gift of an understanding ear, maybe hope has a chance to grow.

The Lucky Metal Car (2015-02-16) cover story short fiction kids

Six-year-old Jackie is quite a character. He brings second chances to the ultimate...

The Final Price (2015-03-23) cover story fiction death

And all he could hope was that his old partner was still as nice...

My Rat Brother's Freedom Mission (2015-03-30) fiction family rat

Randy has a secret that doesn't excuse his actions, but it does explain them.

Beyond Serendipity (2015-04-20) cover story fiction relationship life

Sometimes events that seem unrelated connect. Lee is ten years old; she almost died when she was seven. But she celebrates the present. Someone needs to meet her, and doesn't know it yet... First, these unrelated events wait to be understood.

The Amost Perfect Bridge Club (2015-05-18) cover story fiction family friends

Cassie lives in what appears to be the perfect environment. It isn't. And the narrator is more than a fill-in at a monthly bridge game...

The Borrowed and the Borrower (2015-06-22) cover story fiction relationship mistakes

Morgan has had enough of her mother's neediness and her brother Ricky's poor choices. Someone has to take a new direction...

The Receipt (2015-07-20) cover story fiction gift family

Sometimes bad intentions can backfire -- or lead to two steps backward and maybe one forward...

Two Fifty Dollar Bills (2015-08-31) cover story fiction life death

Cora has no place to go. An answer finds her, but it isn't what she would expect...

It's the Computer's Fault (2015-10-05) cover story fiction bizarre computer

Welcome to October 2015, and BIZARRE Month in the Piker Press! Keep an eye on your computer, strange things can happen there...

Thorn-In-My-Neck (2015-11-02) cover story fiction death

Luther wasn't exactly human, but he is dead. He leaves behind a token that contains a power beyond anything even he could have expected.

Family (2015-12-21) cover story fiction family holiday

Jess has only three additional family members; only one of them speaks to her. A connection with her daughter seems as likely as bringing Jess's husband Stan back from the dead. But something even more unexpected than a sudden ice storm is about to happen...

Uncle Maxwell's One-Track Mind (2016-01-18) cover story fiction family food

Bailey left home when she went to college, returning only for short visits. She believes Uncle Max's funeral will be another stop in dysfunctional land. But Max's one-track has led in directions Bailey has never fathomed...

Celebration, Year One (2016-01-25) cover story fiction family sobriety

Ricky is surviving on an inadequate paycheck. But his current problems seem to focus upon a mother who lives in la-la-land and a sister who wants to control his life.

One More Day in the Park with Ingrid (2016-02-29) cover story fiction love death

Ingrid has been dead five years; she returns from the other side of life to meet with her husband, Mick. He doesn't know why she has come. Yet.

Mindreading 101 with Professor Charles (2016-04-04) cover story fiction relationship life

Charles teaches engaged couples how to communicate on a deeper level. But Charles has a secret he hides from himself. And it takes more than mind-reading to hear truth...

Waiting for a Change (2016-06-06) cover story fiction life death

While her husband fights long lines of traffic blocked by an accident, Helen meets her blocked past ...

Dead Tree and Family Roots (2016-07-11) cover story fiction family

Luanne sees a kinship between a dead tree in an abandoned cemetery and her past. She decides to forget what cannot be retrieved and enjoy Jeff, the new love in her life...

Callie, Meet Callie (2016-10-17) cover story fiction life death

Her life is made up of broken puzzle pieces. But she had a life, and she will remember it...

No Ordinary December Day (2016-12-12) fiction love life

Kim seems to be anti-social. She isn't. She is using all her energy to hold on...

Aunt Brook's Less-than-grand Announcement (2017-01-30) cover story fiction family humor

Baby listens to his aunt brag to his mommy, but Mommy has finally had enough...

No Ordinary Recital (2017-05-08) cover story fiction life love

Jack has made a promise to his grandson that he will make it to his violin recital, but Jack is not known for keeping his promises.

Dear Ruby: Four Unsent Letters (2017-07-24) cover story fiction relationships

Trying to figure out what went wrong won't change the past, but what about the present?

Aunt Marty's Magic Coins (2017-09-11) cover story fiction life death

Aunt Marty's niece Lacy doesn't have her aunt's gift for hearing the voices of the deceased. And she doesn't want it. The magic coins have a different plan for Lacy.

Three Charlies (2017-11-27) cover story fiction life death

More than one Charlie lives in a nursing home, but they see the same place in different ways...

Christmas on Trash-in-the-Yard Boulevard (2017-12-18) cover story short fiction holiday

A feisty woman who doesn't expect much from the holidays is about to be surprised...

Talk Is Cheap (2018-04-23) fiction humor

A psychologist appears to be willing to accept low fees rather than deal with insurance. However, Dr. Margaret Kale isn't who she seems to be...

The Unwelcome Christmas Invitation (2018-12-24) cover story fiction family holiday

Rose wants to forget her past -- even though it lives inside her and has affected her sense of who she is.

One Mother's Day Party and Two Dads (2019-05-06) cover story fiction family Mother's Day

Mimi only has a father because her mother died when Mimi was a toddler. Her friend, Casey, has two fathers. The kindergarten class is having a special evening celebration for Mother's Day...

Final Apology (2019-11-04) fiction family death

And when we're offered forgiveness, can we accept it?...

Meow, Grammatically Speaking (2020-11-30) fiction humor

A conversation between two cats. One older and versed with feline skills...

The Inside of a Ping Pong Ball (2021-04-19) fiction life love

Sometimes the student teaches the teacher...

For Pete's Sake (2021-06-14) fiction humor

An old woman with an answer-for-everything disposition doesn't curse. Her tongue carries enough acid without it.

Double Ouch While Waiting for Double Pepperoni (2021-12-06) fiction humor

This is why I have a comfy chair on the front porch...

Christmas in Lights, 1951 (2021-12-20) fiction family

The Second World War has destroyed their lives. Will there ever be another brightly-lit Christmas?

The World's Greatest Writers’ Store (2022-10-17) fiction humor

You think you know the ending, you're sure you know the beginning, but what about in between..?

You Have a Pet What? (2022-12-19) fiction humor

Uncle Burt always had a kind heart...

One Life Later (2022-12-26) fiction life

A vision of boundless love...

House of Mildew and Sunshine (2023-04-17) fiction life

Terry Petersen writes with positive thinking in mind. Her motto: Dive through the muck of real life, but surface with a gem.

New on the Market (2023-07-03) fiction humor

Going like hotcakes, too...

No Sweet, Ordinary Old Lady (2023-12-25) fiction humor

Scintillant takes Christmas into another world and brings back a peculiar, yet happy and unexpected surprise.

Keep the Police Report Simple (2024-01-29) fiction humor

There's a real curmudgeon in Eddie and Kent's neighborhood...

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Poem

Fancy Soap and Thick Socks (2015-04-06) poem unrhymed

"Ah, you know what I like," my mother said..."

Goosely Translated (2015-04-27) poem unrhymed

World travelers know their dialects well...

Play Date (2015-06-15) poem unrhymed

"...Daddy and Neighbor stood outside Daddy's car and discussed the world..."

If Only (2015-07-13) poem unrhymed

"If peace were a bird, it would fly through heat or wind..."

Rebecca, Child Pilot (2015-09-14) poem unrhymed

"...a lion on vacation from Africa..."

Chrysalis (2015-11-23) poem unrhymed

"...I pray for your spirit to sing whenever gray clouds
meet inevitable dark patterns below..."

An Old Man's Final Wish (2015-11-30) poem unrhymed

"...He celebrated the exquisite fit of her name to her personality..."

"Super Why" Not? (2016-01-11) poem unrhymed

"...the enthusiasm innate to someone who knows... how to work for what she wants..."

Finger Paint (2016-04-18) cover story poem

With age comes experience, that is true. But years of experience shouldn't mask the wonder of the moment...

The Blue Sofa (2016-04-25) poem unrhymed

"...My words dissolve before they touch my tongue. But our past replays scenes..."

The Pawn (2016-07-18) poem rhymed

"...Because you are learning I will let you try that move again..."

Last Visit to the House I Called Home (2016-08-22) poem unrhymed

"...a color beyond reach..."

Scrabble, Off-the-Board (2016-09-19) poem unrhymed

"...if I could resurrect the past I would open both ears..."

The Lone Blue Jay (2016-11-21) poem unrhymed

"A single blue jay squawks..."

Sonnet by a Mature Woman (2016-12-19) poem rhymed

"...Bold claims portrayed in color, dull my doubt..."

The Know-it-alls (2017-04-24) poem unrhymed

"...above beer commercials and simultaneous conversations..."

One Man's Geriatric Valentine (2020-02-10) poem unrhymed

"...I reach across the couch and pat your hand..."

Contrast (2020-08-10) poem unrhymed

"...listen to commentary about hate and racism..."

Glitter, High Class, and a Mission (2022-04-25) poem unrhymed

"...Ten pounds of peace, a dozen poems, and a hundred dreams..."

Man with the Black Shirt (2022-07-04) poem unrhymed

"...Would your life be the same?..."

I have no idea (2022-08-22) poem unrhymed

"...time reaches through weighty errors and trial..."

Dog Dreams (2023-10-02) poem unrhymed

"...as if I’d guessed his name from myriad possibilities..."

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Essay

How To Misread a Map (2017-02-27) cover story essay travel

One way, four-way stop, merge, yield, right turn only, freeway, HOV -- wait, what?

Ann: The True Story of an Ordinary Woman with Extraordinary Determination (2018-04-02) cover story essay life

An example of how one easily dismissed individual has exceptional value. She is a prototype for many people, heroes and heroines in simple ways...

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