“Sensational is the perfume…” a photograph by Jennifer a. Borthwick-Leslie

The Reliable Unicorn ~ by Jennifer a. Borthwick-Leslie

Undeniably unbroken and magical

Nova

Innocent and wise

Chewing blades of grass while frolicking through the crystalline forest

Often considered to be a guiding force

Rambunctious and free to roam

Night and Day

 

Suburbanite by Jennifer a. Borthwick-Leslie

fruit

Make way for the

polished silver shopping carts

watch out -

too late.

Imagine right-handed rutabagas

rolling down the hill

escaping

the rath of

pregnant pomegranates.

Unwilling the timid

reducing the tired

and applauding the perplexed.

Excuse the eggplants -

they are purple and do not know better than

the crisp white peppery taste of daikon

kkkkkrruunccccchH!

Rediculous fuschia radishes

kkkkrruuunccccchH!

Hard lime-green apples

K-K-kkkkrrrrunncH!

Make way for the

polished silver shopping carts

watch out

too late.

Willfullness ~ by Jennifer a. Borthwick-Leslie

Destiny denies everything.

She wants – but no more than she needs.

Destiny is a slightly built, 37-year-old, dark red-head woman who lives with Will, an 8 month old German Sheppard pup who is going through an identity crisis.  One month ago, Lucky, the town sheriff and Destiny’s next door neighbor, found Will abandoned at the intersection of Route 34 and Sandhill Rd.

They reside in a small, dove-gray, postmodern style house at 6-E Nuff Drive in fabulous Topeka, Kansas. She makes pies in the comfort of her carrot colored kitchen and sells hardware for a living. One day she hopes to realize her dream and open up a chain of successful Pie & Joe cafes in the Midwest. 

Tonight, on the way home from shopping for pie ingredients… Scc-rr-e-e-ech. Whiiiirrrrrl, whhiiirrrrl. Eee-e-errr-k! SMACK- smack – smack, smack, SMACK!  Each brown paper bag gyrates against the upholstered car interior while skyrocketing raw eggs soar through the air. Bags of flour explode upon decent – jars of cherry preserves shatter the front windshield making it impossible for Destiny to see the road ahead.  A stillness overwhelms Destiny as her body bounces back from the propelling  forward motion.  She adjusts her seatbelt and shifts upright to assess for injuries.  Her right hand is throbbing and bruised; a small  jar of preserves must have clobbered her writing hand.  She fixates on her pulse as she watches the dripping cherries meandering down the front window. 

She presses her face against the driver’s side door window and is drawn to outside movement.   Destiny peers through the cherry stain to see four caramel kittens laying in the grassy ditch off the road, shivering with fright.

Have they been abandoned? 

She wants –  but no more than she needs.

“Wisdom Speaks…” by Jennifer a. Borthwick-Leslie

Life’s Relevance ~ by Jennifer a. Borthwick-Leslie

“When was the last time you got one?” asked Alice.

feeding frenzy

“Sometime last week.”

“Do you know what I am asking you?”

“Yep.”

“Then be honest with me, when was the last time you got one?”

“I am being honest with you.”

“Then when did you get one?”

“Listen, I got one when you asked me to get you one!” “Is something wrong with you?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“WHAT are you asking me?”

“I am asking you – when, was, the, last, time, you, got one!”

“Oh, I did it when you weren’t looking.”

“P-H-H-E-E-U-U-W! We made it!” The wheezing Alice and Andy snatched the last two corn dogs from Dolly’s calloused hands. Dolly’s Dogs to Go is a smart food cart stationed at the entrance of Finnegan’s Rainbow. Finnegan’s is an entertainment windfall – a combination strip mall and arboretum that serves a restless bedroom community in Redundant, Wisconsin. The unique thing about these residents is their last name. They all rhyme with the letters “A, E, I, O, or U.”

Alice and Andy belong to Fred and Francine Pie who live at 27 Sky Street. The Pies don’t like desserts. Just dishes prepared with hot dogs. A fact that concerns most physicians in the area. Last year the city raised $1,000,000.00 to build a research facility to come up with a cure for this odd addiction. All of the plants in Redundant are plastic because the children are allergic to trees.

Redundant is proud to be the home of The National Center of Repetitive Thought. Over 10,000 visitors annually travel to Redundant as an afterthought.

Most leave feeling their life has changed forever.

In the Afterlife ~ by Jennifer a. Borthwick-Leslie

 

Profile

Look at them – glaring at me; their beady eyes penetrating my skin. Lobbing smiles my direction. Lips awash with this springs’ fashion colors. Each pretentious grimace is a ploy – disguising their intentions. They want to get rid of me! 

Jenna Shimmer is an employee of Globalls, a Fortune 500 company providing high-end garden products to arboretums worldwide. Ms. Shimmer has been employed at the Florence, Italy location for the last six years. “I feel at home here and couldn’t be happier,” says Jenna with a natural smile.

Corporate headquarters, in Chicago, Illinois, has an immediate need; to find a new Director of Telemarketing Sales for their Mega-store location in Detroit, Michigan. The Michigan store will service Alaska, Western Canada and the Northwest region of the United States; and employ approximately 30 telemarketers to cover both 1^st and 2^nd shifts. The facility is in phase two of construction and as such, is destined to be completed in just under one year. “I just love my current job and living in Florence is a dream come true.”

Jenna lives for the moment and does not think about what she fears. A simple, yet elegant young woman of modest means, she is mesmerized by the natural beauty and genuine charm of Florence. Every morning she awakes – in anticipation. She lives in a delicately decorated one bedroom loft apartment. Inside you are reminded of Buttercups and vanilla ice cream – window dressing are flowing with chiffon and silk.

I can never find that cellphone – coming! “Hello—o-o…” Without a doubt, Jenna is the most pro-active, competent and kind telemarketer this company has ever employed.

I don’t want to leave! I don’t want that job! Somehow I must present myself as an imbecile.

A Quiet Ritual ~ by Jennifer Borthwick-Leslie

Lunchroom duty.

A ½ hour of sheer terror five times a week. The sounds of ten thousand migrating gulls shoving their way through a sieve. One hundred and fifty primal misfits misbehaving in the school lunchroom. What peace. What soothing tranquility. Ahhhhh.

Mary Ellen runs for the mop as Eva, another para-educator, sprints to the aid of little Sarah, the cause of today’s lunchtime mayhem. “CRASSSHHHH!“ “Hey – don’t just walk away, please pick up that tray – the food isn’t going to grow legs and walk into the garbage by itself!”  Sarah does her best at scooping up an assortment of edibles off the floor; namely, tater tots, baked beans, fish sticks and vanilla pudding.

Clap, clap, clap clap clap - Clap, clap, clap clap clap, BOYS and GIRLS!  It, is, WAY too loud in here! “Quiet down. SHHHHHHH …I said quiet down!” The noise level begins to soften like razor blades in jello. “We will, we will, ROCK you…SMASSHH!…ROCK you, SMASSH! We will, we will, ROCK you,… T-W-E-E-E-E-E-T!!! 

Subtle sounds cannot be heard – the friendly zip on a zip lock bag or that last empty “suck” through the juice box straw. Nope. It’s all gone. Until…

Morning Meeting ~ by Jennifer a. Borthwick-Leslie

engaged

PLLUthth PLLUthth PLLUthth – ”Coffee’s ready everyone!” yelled Candice. “We have a real, busy day ahead of us! Come on, come on, hop to it!”

It’s 8:03AM and the interview is in 27 minutes. Candice doesn’t have time for formal food preparation – so, she delegates the breakfast display to Bob – the senior partner. Bob is allergic to baked goods. Not the best job for Bob. “Hey, Bob is not looking so good,” said Bartlett, “Just give him some coffee – we have a real, busy day ahead of us!”

It’s now 8:08AM and Bob has been rushed to the hospital. Not to worry, Bartlett covers for him. The thing is, Bartlett is 370 lbs – for a reason. For every croissant he places on a plate he stuffs another in his mouth followed up with hand full of lox, muffins, strawberries and cheeses, “Bartlett! We have a real, busy day ahead of us – Bartlett!” yells Candice. “I nhho I nhho – whu u whhan shhm?”

It’s 8:16AM and the hiring team has misplaced all the resumes and Bartlett has thrown up a variety of colors and shapes on the two toned, cream color, wall to wall plaid rug in the corporate meeting room. Candice no longer want the be the human resources director at Insync, Corp., a wholeseller for bathroom fixtures and bookstores.

It’s now 8:24AM and the first interview of the day is early.

How is your id today?

"Alter-ego No.1"

This artwork was created by Jennifer a. Borthwick-Leslie.