During the day, Paul gave his opinions on things. Pencils, backpacks, decorative yard rocks, things like that. No one read his opinions except for the people who commissioned the people that he worked for. His desk was on the 12th… Continue Reading
Kelly met Frank on a snowy night in January because Megan kept her late at Patrick’s bar. “Megan, it’s snowing. We need to go.” “Just one more,” Megan pouted like a kid, her lips full and red. By the time… Continue Reading
The last time Greyson made his wife pancakes for dinner, he glimpsed a fly on the kitchen window and, without thinking, flipped his spatula at it, leaving a greasy square on the glass. At the kitchen island his wife didn’t… Continue Reading
The Mississippi had flooded its banks. This was, of course, an entirely natural thing for the Mississippi to do. Flooding was the river’s great yawn, a stretching of its arms and twisting of kinks from its spine with a slow,… Continue Reading
1. Five flowerpots on the patio. All the flowers are dead. Geraniums, petunias, lobelia. I kept forgetting to water them. I think my mind is too full to remember such things. It’s a shame. The flowers were pretty. 2. The… Continue Reading
He was cleaning out the bathroom when he saw the vibrator. Its pink-purple color vibrant against the white drawer. He picked it up and sighed while he studied it. He walked into the bedroom, where four piles sat at his… Continue Reading
“Tell us, Grandma, please!” the girls said. “Oh, well, it’s not like you have it now, with your beautiful DNA bracelets and your fabulous Russian dances…” “No, Grandma, we’re not yet twenty-one!” Jessica said. “We’re only children.” “Oh, yes,” Grandma… Continue Reading
You may never know my name, but I have yours tattooed across my shoulders. I have tried to accept what divides us; however, I am helplessly pulled toward your half-turned-away face. Your downcast eyes ignore the jeers of the crowd.… Continue Reading
At the Health and Human Services office, we stand in a long, narrow hallway waiting for our chance to make our cases, get our food stamps straightened out or turn in paperwork to keep them. We are strangers, but the… Continue Reading
My body is decomposing. It starts to peel away like an onion losing its skin, only to reveal a shriveled core beneath. I must not let him witness this transformation. Since I assumed the role of Madame Wang, I have… Continue Reading