“Damned coyotes.” Clifton Ellis followed the blood trail from the sheep shed with no hope of finding the stolen lamb. The ewe bleated, unconsoled. In a terrified frenzy, she’d trampled the lamb’s twin during the coyotes’ last visit. Now, she was alone within the flock.
Kids will be kids. Boys will be boys. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just messing around. He knew I was just joking. She knew I was just kidding. Awe, come on. Lighten up. Where’s your sense of humor? Whatever. I’m tired. Relentless bullies. Hurtful words. Violence. On the Internet. On the news. In the hallway. The negativity compiles and compresses. I feel my spirit weaken, and honestly, sometimes I feel like giving up. But doing what’s right is rarely easy, and I don’t believe that any of us were put on this planet just to give up. If I’m anything, I’m an idealist. I’m not naive, but I do believe that we are meant to strive for a higher standard--one in which kindness is absolute and bullying isn’t accepted as part of the norm. Thoreau said, "How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." I think about that most nights when I settle into my chair to write. Who am I to write about anything? I can’t tell you. I’m a terrible speller. I kno