MURMURATIONS • by Andrea Rinard
Mom’s ashes are in the urn on the table, and I smile with my lips at people who hold pieces of her. I am greedy for every fragment, but hugs are extortion. “She never got to be a grandmother,” one… Continue Reading
adoption
INTERNATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY • by Gretchen Bartels-Ray
When I was almost five, my Aunt Evelyn discovered that my birthday falls on International Talk like a Pirate Day. “ARRRRRRH,” Aunt Ev brandished a hooked hand and waited until I looked up from my cupcake. “This be the tale… Continue Reading
APPLE • by Nicholas Anthony
I saw her for the second time in six years at a record store south of Old Town, near the Jazz, Blues and Standards section, leafing past Glen Miller and Thelonius Monk. She was dressed in beige and had her… Continue Reading
BLOOD AND WATER • by Lydia S Gray
I found my sister in the hotel pool, floating just beneath the surface. It was supposed to be our last family holiday before she left for university and she had hoped for a holiday romance. A stranger pumped her chest… Continue Reading