“We try to be flexible here at Literally Stories and when we have authors who send work outside our word count guidelines we are still willing to give them a fair shot. To get through in that case they have to be a bit different and stand out in some way. Adam sent us this and we were all really taken by it. It is way below our normal lower limit but being Adam he also sent in some art work to bring the thing even more to life. So, for one night only at a website near you we are proud to present Words and Images by Adam Kluger in “Are we Both Broken.”
Are We Both Broken?
The Teddy Bear collecting dust on the top shelf knew him best. He knew him from the beginning practically from late night hugs of desperation and small tears.
The T-shirts knew his smell –and the mess on his desk knew his financial problems and medical woes and penchant for living life in complete disarray.
The books on the bookshelf knew his thoughts on life and love and things that mattered most.
The back-scratcher knew just where he itched.
The Iphone could not figure him out but understood he was clearly still a BlackBerry kind of guy and very slow to change.
The coffee-pot saw his addictive tendencies but never said a thing about them.
The sunglasses and old suits knew of his need to feel protected.
His ties wondered why there were so many of them yet only so few that h
e would favor.
The TV was his oldest friend.
The phone would ring regretfully knowing that the bill collectors and marketing calls on the other end would send him into a blue funk.
The TP and Vaseline were also close friends.
The computer saw his creativity.
The couch saw his broken down spirit.
The mirror winced because the truth often hurts.
The light-switch preferred to be dimmed.
The refrigerator knew how to soothe him as did the paint-brush.
When he went to the diner and looked across at his old friend eating split pea-soup he wanted to ask him, “are we both broken?,” instead he worked his cross-word puzzle and drank his iced coffee, which both knew the truth of the matter.
literally stories 
Hi Adam, I found some deep truths in this, where the objects we own or surroud us provide the subtle evidence of who we are, rather than who we think we are.
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I love this thoughtful piece in which every word counts, and the paintings explain. Thank you! 😀
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thanks, Fran! 🙂 Adam
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My heart jumped with joy at the wonderfulness of the story, while my eyes delighted in the awesomeness of the art work. My memory knew this extraordinary submission was unforgettable, while my cup runneth over. One of your best, Adam!
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James McEwan wrote what I thought. I couldn’t say it better. I wonder what my keyboard thinks of me.
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Thanks all for your kind and touching comments. A
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Hi Adam,
This was brilliant. It is something that we can all relate to in the fact of our objects saying more about us than we can do ourselves.
My empty bottles of whisky all feel used!!
You keep the world interesting my friend.
Hugh
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My collection of whisky sits on the shelf and screams at me,”‘I dare you”.
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So glad Leila gave this a second life with a Sunday Rerun. It’s even better the second time around.
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