With this work by Ryan C. Tittle, we continue to highlight original fiction and poetry from writers who have yet to publish a book, or who published their first book at age 40 or older.
Up the Mountainside I want to sit at the bottom of a mountain, placing my legs up the incline, my head on the ground, face to the sky, and send thoughts to my father. I would let the trickle of whatever there might be crawl up my waist, chest, face— vigorous stream or march of ants.
Endowment I I remember him frail, too weak to work, still throbbing with anticipation, excitement, hope. This peace—where do people get it? Each time I walk through the veil, all I see is another veil. I thought when I knew more, I would be happier. I am not. You peel the onion—you get more layers. Alright, so it’s not an original thought. I never promised that. I step into someone else’s metaphor, I am the third, the fourth, the four hundredth. The ground of the metaphor is sound. II Walk me through. Teach me the signs, the tokens, the oaths. So, what if it’s not my father’s religion? That would thwart the goal: to be anything other than myself. But this poem was intended to be hopeful. Or, in anticipation of hope. Every other possession can dissolve in my palms but leave me the dream. Without that, what do I have? III Let me in. Let me cry in the comfort of a future/father that’s out of reach. Accept me because I can’t accept myself. You can’t deny me entry. Every time one stands firm in the word, there is a moment of fear. Did that come from me? Well, damn it, I deserve some sentimentality if I deserve anything at all. IV Bathe me and send me back in my Sunday dress. I have to go back to the world and can’t be ill-prepared for the wreck. Another veil before me. Another bastard side to the world. What else?
Ryan C. Tittle is an award-winning playwright from Walker County, Alabama. He is the author of over fifty scripts for the stage. His short play Stilldeath was recently produced as part of the 26th annual Theatre Oxford Festival of Ten-Minute Plays and his short screenplay Western Civ made the longlist for the 2026 London International Screenplay Awards. His play for young audiences, Schoolnet: The Case of the Grim Game, will be produced by Homewood Theatre in July 2026. He studied playwriting with Tony and Obie-Award winner David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Yellow Face). His plays have been honored by the University of Arkansas, Horizon Theatre (Atlanta, GA), Northern Michigan University, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and the Alabama Writers' Forum. He is a graduate of Graceland University, Athens State University, Bennington College, and the Alabama School of Fine Arts. For more information, please visit ryanctittle.com.
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