writing

The Carnery

/ Karina Pinella / 4 Comments

Image: Pixabay

The daily grind grounds Pete to the ground, like the meat he grinds to make the daily meatball grinder, the star of The Carnery, his eatery and meat shop. Day in, day out, Pete is like the meat he first pounds with his mallet. His routine is not much different from how his father described his own time at the cannery back in the day. Nor the stories his grandfather told him way back when he was a carney. Hard work is stamped in his DNA. As Pete pounds away at the meat, he thinks how Connor, his son, seems to be enjoying the fruits of his labor. Pete sent Connor to the best schools and drummed into his head the idea of seizing every opportunity he sees. As a high-powered Wall Streeter, Connor is today a true carnivore.

Awakened

/ Karina Pinella / 7 Comments

Celebrate yourself,
Accept your significance,
For you are worthy.

Regardless of fate,
You make your own happiness;
It comes from within.

A purposeful life
Is to always be present.
Find joy in small things.

Barfly, Beware!

/ Karina Pinella / 6 Comments

I want to tell you a tale
About what happened in Dubai.
One night after drinking ale,
I ran over this tall guy.
He had a long, forked tail
That he stuck into my eye.
Then he dragged me down to hell,
Where I stayed in a hot and smelly cell.

Image: Pixabay

Flashback: The Point of No Return

/ Karina Pinella / 8 Comments

Image: Pixabay

We were young and eager to get to the party, which was 100 miles away, but we had a fast car and high spirits. We were stoked to go to our first college bash. We had made plans to meet our friend, who told us about the fun frat event.  Along the way, we joked and toked, or toked and joked. By that time, we weren’t sure which came first. Then somehow, we took a wrong turn. And another wrong turn. Until we decided to just screw it, and stick to our own party.

Oops Brief: Padding the Truth

/ Karina Pinella / 3 Comments

Image: Pixabay

Louisa glances at the time on her computer. A quarter of an hour before meeting with the company president! Quickly, she takes her purse and suit jacket, stopping by the restroom to freshen up. She gives herself a once-over at the waist-length mirror. Her self-inspection halts at the perspiration soaking through the sides of her blouse. She rushes to rub her armpits with a paper towel. A vision of sweat seeping through her thin, light-colored suit jacket concerns her. Just then her eyes land on a mini-vending machine for sanitary pads.

With growing annoyance, she tries to attach the sticky side of the panty liner on the slippery lining of her suit jacket’s armhole. She’ll just clamp her armpits down on the makeshift sweat shields. She heads out to meet with the president.

The meeting begins without a hitch and some people come in to join them. As the meeting continues to go well, Louisa finds herself relaxing and enjoying the group. Toward the end, the tone starts to lighten up. They start getting up, sharing anecdotes, with one trying to be funnier than the other.  Caught up with the others showing off their wit, Louisa thinks of a perfect tale. She makes grand gestures as she tries to impress her audience. Immediately, she realizes her mistake. One panty liner lands on the floor, while the other barely clings on to her skirt. This will be one story everyone will be talking about in the next meeting.