Sins Of The Flesh.

Anders Bromley was, and always had been, exceptionally peculiar. Even as a small child, he preferred formal attire over the shorts and sports jerseys worn by his peers, and he had somehow developed a fondness for ascots as well. He never left home without the brass pocket-watch that he had polished obsessively until it became dull and faded from his overzealous attention. Needless to say his eccentricities did not fare well with others, and his only friend in the world was his pet armadillo, Ainsley.

Every morning, Anders arose from bed at exactly five twenty-one in the morning, as he had always had an affinity to that particular number. He stretched, stepped into his silk slippers, and started his day.

His life of introversion had afforded him the luxury of focusing on his career, which resulted in incredible success. Anders was the CEO of SpaceQ, the world's first (and only) space exploration outfit, which had made him rich beyond his wildest dreams. Although he developed a teleportation device that allowed humans to travel anywhere their simple minds could imagine, only SpaceQ possessed the rights to visit outer space.

Despite his fortune, Anders felt incomplete, and like something was missing. His thoughts often drifted to fantasies of having a family. He swiped away the tears that formed in the corners of his eyes whenever he daydreamed about his son, who he'd name Anderson or his daughter, Andreas. Anders knew that his wealth was meaningless without anyone to share it with, and he was finally about to change that.

Anders excitedly dialed his assistant's extension, "Priscilla, cancel my appointments for the day, and announce an emergency meeting at once."

As the board members arrived, one by one with varying degrees of concern, and confusion expressed on their faces, Anders burst into the room with the same force of one of his rockets breaking the sound barrier.

"As you're surely wondering—and with good reason, might I add, about the urgency of this meeting, it is with immense pleasure that I announce a company-wide incentive. Effective immediately, the first individual or team to successfully utilize my DNA, which will be provided, to produce my heir, or heiress, will be rewarded with the title of president of SpaceQ and a cash prize that is yet to be determined." Anders resembled a man possessed as he strided out of the room, smiling from ear to ear, and with a skip in his step.

Anoushka, SpaceQ's sweetheart, and leading biochemical engineer broke the silence, "He's gone completely mad! The implications of this experiment, if this gets out, will land us all behind bars."

A tall, strapping Scandinavian named Sven stood up to speak, "You silly girl, he only asked that we give him an heir, he never stated how. Cloning was your assumption! Surrogacy is also one of many options. Either way, you can start practicing calling me Mr. President."

The entire room burst to life with the hushed tones of private conversations as Anders watched them on camera, ecstatic that everything was going the way he planned. Satisfied they were distracted, he hurried out of the building, got into his caroplane, and flew off in the direction of his home.

Anders had taken the first steps to revealing his deepest secret. In time, one of his workers would discover the discrepancies in his DNA, and news of his truth would spread throughout the world in minutes. He smiled fondly at the thought his entire flight home, already imagining the bevy of babes that will soon be vying for his love.

As he arrived at his mansion, Anders handed his butler his custom gold-lace Prada cape, and loosened the Hermes ascot from around his neck. He took the elevator to his bedroom, and lovingly placed his pocket-watch on his bed. Anders removed his clothing then turned on his whirlpool jets. Finally, he removed his flesh, and a bald pygmy extraterrestrial with glowing bright pink skin slid into the therapeutic water and let out an exaggerated sigh of relief.

Art by Jacob Odrowski.

Nevermore.

Concealed from the world about me,
no self-imposed exile ever ends well.
Desperate for human contact,
a simple touch could break this spell.

Locked away like an unkind stranger,
my reflection is one that I'd rather avoid,
despite aiming to be more familiar,
the beast within me is easily annoyed.

Time has never been on my side,
my hopes died wishing on grains of sand,
with the demise of every enchanted petal,
I drift further away from being a man.

Then you arrived in my final hour,
as stagehands prepared the curtain call,
and just as easily you slipped away,
though I remain helplessly enthralled.

Solo.

I'd climb Everest's highest peak,
and swim across the Nile for you,
my love, you make me weak,
so I won't ever let you feel blue.

Nothing could stand in my way,
with me you'll never be lonely.
You brighten every single day,
say you'll be my one and only.

Trek through the Sahara sand,
I'd even fight a lion for its prey.
For you, no feat would be too grand,
as long as I could see your pretty face.

Nothing could stand in my way,
with me you'll never be lonely.
You brighten every single day,
Say you'll be my one and only.

I would scale the Eiffel tower,
over me you've got such power!
For you, no deed would be too kind,
I just need, I've got to make you mine.
Take you to the Emerald isle,
whether today, next week or in awhile,
you make me shine brighter than the sun, but you just don't seem to understand that...you're my only one, my only one.

Nothing could stand in my way,
with me you'll never be lonely.
You brighten every single day,
say you'll be my one and only.

New Delusion.

The soft crunching of eggshells
under marshmallow cushioned feet
echoes through paper walls
and out into the cotton candy streets.
Since all snowflakes are unique,
only compliments are to be received!
Even the clouds are padded here
in the land of make believe!