Articles written by Tom Upton

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About me - Tom Upton

Attended the writing workshop at Columbia College. Has had numberous stories published in literary magazines. Once served as a judge for the annual fiction contest at Nit and Wit Magazine.

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Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Death: 1 of 120
MOURNING DOVESNow that spring finally arrived, all Carl wanted to do was plant his vegetable garden. But there would be no garden this year. His wife, Anna, was dying- again, for the third time in the last month. He could hardly go outside and turn over soil and plant his tomatoes and bell peppers while she languished in bed,... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Humorous poems for children: 2 of 154
NUMBERSNumber oneFlew into the sunAnd shined very brightlyTo be number oneNumber twoWent to the zooWatched all the animalsWith nothing to doNumber threeTried to skiFell off a mountainAnd hurt his right kneeNumber fourLived behind a doorLooked out now and thenAnd was seen no moreNumber fiveWas very aliveDid many thingsBut love... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Misunderstanding: 1 of 50
BURNING BRIDGESAgain I call Sarah Anne, but still the answer was no.Usually, by now, we would be sitting closely on the bench beneath the tree in the Burnwoods' front yard. It was a tradition, Sarah Anne once told me, that had gone back generations. Her great-grandfather had planted the tree when he was a boy, and ever since ... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Irony: 1 of 49
MASTERMINDReilly was dead now, really. When he exited this world, he took with him- according to his receipts, anyhow- two thousand, eight hundred and fifty-three messages.When did that scheme begin? It really had begun as a scheme, you know, although later it turned into something quite different.I remembered talking with hi... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Struggle: 2 of 43
The Lowliest Of HumansI just couldn't catch a break that day. First I'd got up early, and made it down to the day labor office by five in the morning, waited four hours, but never got called. That seemed to be happening all too often these days, and money was in especially short supply. Then I discovered that I had somehow lo... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Family: 7 of 101
THE FAMILY COFFIN1Grandfather was a very practical man. He was many other things- neat, organized, patient, all which qualities were invaluable as he spent most of his life repairing clocks- but above all he was practical. Just before his fiftieth birthday, he hired a carpenter to make his coffin. This was back in the days wh... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Childhood memories: 9 of 117
TheHangingBoyIt was as if the whole thing hadn't happened at all, but really it had, and it would haunt me years later. I was seven-years-old when I found the hanging boy. It was an early summer morning. School had just led out, and the entire world smelled of freedom and the greenness of plants that hadn't yet budded. I spen... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Pro life: 6 of 47
THE ABORTEDA hope or dreamMaybe a nightmareNever to be realizedI sense a fleeting momentOf timeAnd of knowledge thatEvents will never take placeI will never be bornSqualling beneath a brightReflected lightI will never be heldAnd passed aboutLike a treasureFound unexpectedly on the groundA gift that fate has given To my mother... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Evil: 4 of 30
The Scent of EvilIt was late spring that year, and I had that giddy feeling I got every year after school let out for the summer. The whole world was green, and green had a smell, and that smell was of new leaves and mowed grass. Even the dusty, dank attic of our house smelled green- if you left the window open long enough.I ... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Vacation experiences: 4 of 25
Life Along The Okie-dokie Highway June 24Dear Winny Girl, How is your summer vacation going so far? I hope I am not disrupting your fun with this unsolicited letter. First, forgive me for the shakiness of my writing. We are currently on the road, headed hell-bent for nowhere, and the family car is obviously in bad need of new... More..