We do not publish books. We create legacies. 
BIO
Dr. Weiner has over 40 years’ experience as a clinical psychologist who
specializes in trauma recovery and anxiety disorders. He enjoys using stories
to help readers harness their resilience to aid them on their healing journey.
He has been published in a variety of professional journals and literary
fiction in over thirty magazines. His psychology books include Shattered
Innocence and the Curio Shop. Non-psychology publications are Across the
Borderline and The Art of Fine Whining. He has a monthly advice column in a
Portland Newspaper, Ask Dr.Neil. nweiner@usa.net
The Chicken Summit
I know tonight is going to be a disaster the moment we step onto the porch and hear our parents arguing through the kitchen window. Their voices rise and fall like two angry geese in a windstorm. This time the fight is about the roast chicken.
When we walk in, Tina, my mother, is slicing the chicken. My other mother, Roberta, is hovering behind her, opening and slamming cupboards like she’s sending Morse code distress signals.
We sit. Dinner begins in that familiar uneasy silence. Ryan and Sommer exchange the same weary glances I’ve been trading with them since childhood. Here we go again.
The sparks comes fast.
“It’s dry,” Tina announces.
“It’s perfectly fine,” Roberta snickers back.
Tina shoots her a glare sharp enough to debone the chicken without touching it. Roberta twirls her fork like she’s contemplating plunging it into Tina, then abruptly stabs a carrot as if to demonstrate restraint.
The meal rolls on like that, tiny barbs and utensils clattering with the force of a small earthquake. It’s the slow drip of water torture.
By the time dinner ends, I feel ten years older.
We’re clearing plates when they slip right into their usual loop. Tina wipes the counter. Roberta wipes it again.
“You don’t need to redo everything I do.”
“I’m not redoing it.”
“It’s clean.”
“A matter of opinion.”
A wooden spoon slams on the counter All three of us jump like someone fired a starter pistol.
“That’s it.” I stand. “We’re going.”
Both parents speak in unison. “Going where, Brittany?”
“Home,” Ryan says. “Or… anywhere else.”
Sommer grabs her coat. “We love you. But this—” she gestures between them—“is impossible to be around.”
Roberta looks offended. “We’re just talking.”
“No, You’re bickering about everything.”
Tina’s face tightens. “We don’t mean anything by it.”
We stand there, exhausted.
“Wait,” Tina says. “Stay. We—we can stop.”
Roberta nods like a bobble head. “We can. Right, Tina?”
“Yes. We can.”
The tension loosens for a second
“We were thinking of a movie tonight,” Tina offers.
“I’d like to go bowling,” Roberta counters.
“Bowling will be crowded with leagues.”
“You never want to go to the movies.”
There it is. An instant replay of their worst hits. My stomach drops.
“I’m done!”
Ryan stands. “Me too.”
Sommer grabs her keys. “We’re leaving. While we still have functioning nervous systems.”
Roberta sputters, “We didn’t even argue!”
Tina insists, “We’re trying! That was affectionate!”
I turn back. “We love you. But you two can weaponize any activity. Bowling, movies, chicken, anything. We can’t keep doing this.”
Ryan nods. “We’re taking a month off. Minimum. Text us only if someone is physically on fire.”
We walk out.
Through the window I hear Roberta. “Well. That went well.”
“This is what happens when children are raised without proper discipline.”
“Oh, now that’s my fault?”
As we walk to our cars, a sudden downpour hits. We huddle in the rain, drenched.
News about Literary Revelations‘ anthologies
I am genuinely moved by the beauty of your haiku submitted to Haiku for Soulmates. Your creativity and passion shine through your words, and I encourage you to continue sharing your work. 🙏
Both Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku and Petals of Haiku, published by Literary Revelations (@lr_publisher), are now part of the Museum of Haiku Literature in Japan, thanks to our talented artist in residence, Hikari (@hikari2162554).
The Museum of Haiku Literature is distinguished as the world’s only library solely dedicated to collecting and preserving haiku works for the enrichment of future generations. Literary Revelations promised to create legacies. We are doing it.
We invite you to keep submitting to Literary Revelations’ upcoming anthology, Haiku for Soulmates. We hope this collection will also find its place in esteemed museums.
To participate, please submit five haiku to literaryrevelations@pm.me with the email subject clearly labeled as “Haiku for Soulmates.” Please be aware that unlabeled submissions may be misplaced and not read. The deadline for submissions is February 26. Kindly note that your five haiku will be reviewed as a set and accepted or rejected as a whole.
Thank you for your continued support and inspiration. 🙏
Gabriela Marie Milton
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
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OUR BOOKS – PICK ONE TODAY
- Haiku and Tanka: Lull, Harmony and Power in Japanese Art
- Fine art Photography: Lullscapes in Light and Shadow
- Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
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- Full Moon Confessions: Poetry by Tracey Anne
- Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
- Hidden in Childhood: A Poetry Anthology
- Echoes Lost in Stars: Poems by PS Conway
- Love, Stars, and Paradigms: Poems by Swarn Gill
- Building Sandcastles by C.X. Turner and James Welsh
- Greenlandos by Virginia Witch