“Morris and Essex Canal
at Waterloo, New Jersey”
(1900)
by unknown
Quiet water.
Moving coal,
lumber, and grains
up and down hills.
Between locks and
over inclined planes.
Into communities.
From communities.
“Morris and Essex Canal
at Waterloo, New Jersey”
is through the Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Gift of Mitchell and Nancy Steir.
Music “Serendipity”
by Victory Olympia Day from Pixabay.
Presented by Clay Track Press.
Literary fiction. Quietly.
“Card Rack with a Jack of Hearts”
(c.1895)
by John F. Peto
The day’s shopping list, a notepad, and recipe clipping.
A greeting, playing, and presidential card.
This family . . .
Revealed.
Hazhapardly.
“Card Rack with a Jack of Hearts” is through the Cleveland Museum of Art, a Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund.
Music “Just a Moment”
by Ondrej Rosik from Pixabay.
Presented by Clay Track Press.
Literary fiction. Quietly.
“Freaks”
(2026)
By William E. Spear, Jr.
Two friends
enjoy coffee . . .
And discuss . . .
Parents,
Grandparents,
And other Oddities.
One asks . . .
“How did it happen to me?”
“Mortlake Terrace” is through the courtesy of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Music “White Clouds (Slowed Reverb)” by Nikita Kondrashev from Pixabay.
“Freaks” is included in
“Quiet Stumblings: Stories.”
Clay Track Press.
Literary fiction. Quietly.
“Beached Vessels and a Wagon near Trouville”
(ca. 1825)
by Richard Parkes Bonington
Lying aground . . .
Is not stumbling.
It is expecting
the tide to return . . .
Getting underway . . .
And putting to sea.
“Beached Vessels and a Wagon near Trouville” is through the Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.
Music “White Clouds”
by Nikita Kondrashev from Pixabay.
Presented by Clay Track Press.
Literary fiction. Quietly.
“On the Coast of New Jersey”
(1883)
by William Trost Richards
Going to the shore . . .
To reunite . . .
Life . . .
With Living.
Going to the shore.
“On the Coast of New Jersey” is through the Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund, 1883) of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Music “Tree Shadows”
by Konstantin Nestsiarovich
from Pixabay.
Presented by Clay Track Press.
Literary fiction. Quietly.
“The Boatyard”
(c. 1875)
by Jean-Charles Cazin
The craftsmanship for
building the vessel . . .
Shaping the planks and
setting and fixing the joints . . .
Pitching and
waterproofing the hull . . .
Requires no less than . . .
The nautical skills
for navigating with it.
“The Boatyard” is a Gift of
Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin through the Cleveland Museum of Art
in Cleveland, OH.
Music “Tortuga”
by Julius H. from Pixabay.
Presented by Clay Track Press.
Literary fiction. Quietly.
“End of Summer”
(2026)
By William E. Spear, Jr.
An eighth grader
who fears speaking . . .
Writes a note to their
aunt and uncle:
“Need a job” for
holiday gifts.
While working at a
neighborhood diner . . .
Earns more than
pancakes and
Christmas money.
“Mortlake Terrace” is through the courtesy of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Music “Reawakening”
by Scott Buckley –
released under CC-BY 4.0.
www.scottbuckley.com.au
“End of Summer” is included in
“Quiet Stumblings: Stories.”
Clay Track Press.
Literary fiction. Quietly.
