Everlasting Love by Linda McMullen

Carl Carlton’s voice shimmers

through the radio, and I think

that he was a sham prophet. I

signed bleak papers with Jake

just a year after swearing that

we could cherish one another

until the mortal end. And now

our children loll in their rooms

gaping at screens and bawling

that I should keep out as they

are BUSY. My folks’ ballots hit

for the wrong team. Yes, I still

call them, but it’s hard to get a

word in edgewise over blaring

false news in the background.

Maybe I’m just too pessimistic.

When I look toward the back of

my fridge, I start singing along

to the radio. I’ve found it.

One

last ice-cold Diet Coke.

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Linda McMullen is a wife, mother, diplomat, and homesick Wisconsinite. Her short stories and the occasional poem have appeared in over ninety literary magazines. She received Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations in 2020. She may be found on Twitter: @LindaCMcMullen.