3 Short Shorts

I love how much story is packed into these three tight spaces and I love the line "not even the barometric plunge would wake him up." fav

Thanks a ton, Greg. Likewise, you have started my Sunday with such a sweet gesture. I really appreciate it.

These are great. I liked the b-beat rhythm of Fatigue (bottomless, barreling, balustrades, barometric) Fling really got me going, though. Thanks for sharing these. ~R

Thanks Randal! So generous of you to comment and fave. I really appreciate it.

Loved these 3...to the beat the beat it's so unique.

Good writing: few words, well chosen, opening the reader's imagination to broader stories with implication and suggestion.

Thanks Andrea and also J. Mykell! I am very grateful for your comments!

These are explosive, love them, Robert!!! You really can pack it in to one compact space!! A true gift!! "the doctor a stranger. The father stranger still." WOW!! *****

Such grace and resonance and attitude comes through in each of these. Wonderful! *

Good compression. You have a facility for this, focused energy, kung-fu literature. Love it.

fav

Great stuff. Love the form. Three quick punches: left, right, left.
Faveroo.

Enjoyed this suite, Robert - especially "Fatigue" ... "The coffee didn't help" is a perfect opening.

Excellent! Fatigue, especially.

Tons of things ooze out of these few sentences - this is very well done, Robert. Skillful writing *

Thanks so much for all of the wonderful comments and faves, everyone!

Excellent, Robert! Powerful, poignant, startling, and done in so few lines! Evidence of a master. (BTW: Love Everything But the Girl!)

Well, as usual Meg used the line I was going to "the doctor a stranger, the father etc." This is so extremely well done, Robert. You are so verbally acute that the idea of ever having a real conversation with you scares me to death. . .fave

PS Robert and Michael. Wait a minute, I thought my daughter and I were the only people who knew about Everything But The Girl. . .

Dear Michael, I have loved Everything But the Girl since the early 80s...and thanks so much for your salient comments. And MaryAnne, dearest, the only way I can write these is because of my intense imagination. I am nothing like this in person. Do not fear the day when our pths cross.

thank you for these gorgeous and fulfilling stories that hit like lightning

Thanks for your lovely comments, Shann. I appreciate and value them so much.

The first one kills me. *

Tina, so happy (not sure about that word?) it has that impact. I am grateful for your support.

Wow! These are strong in a way that made me feel slightly queasy. No holds barred writing-- that is the ticket every time.
*

So wonderful to have your comments, and unwavering support, my dear Ms. Tepper. Means an unmeasurable amount to me.

very nice suite of dark little things, robert. the last two lines of "fling" and the whole of "rejection" worked particularly well for me. but i enjoyed all 3. well played. *

Thanks so much, Stephen. So nice to have your input, and support as always.

So few words, yet so powerful. Each time I read this, I feel drawn to a different third. Beautifully done.

Thanks Gill! I am so grateful for your meaningful support. So thoughtful of you to let me know what this triptych means to you!

barreling through the balustrades of the Golden Gate Bridge

dripping with sweat
while the rain spits bullets

he swallowed the entire bottle of Nembutal

very, very enticing, sir.

Calib, thanks so very much, sir. You are so generous with your complimentary comments. I am humbled by your praises.

Excellent set of micros. Each gets deeper, reveals more, with each read.

Thanks a ton, Christian! I was just wondering where you have been this morning, so your comments are that much more appreciated than usual.

Not happy, but I could happily read a lot of these. Fave.

Thanks a ton, Christopher. I am so thrilled that you like these mini's.

Short, sharp, and shocking (to co-opt an album title from my youth)!

These are carved like text netsukes, Robert--their small package belies great detail and narrative. Well done!

Thanks so much, Chelsea, for taking the time to not only read these but for your wonderful, generous comments. They are lovely!

Well, it's not pretty in their world, but certainly vivid. They're mini but huge.

Beate, thank you! I think you nailed my very sentiments about these. I appreciate your read as well as taking time to comment and fave.

I like all three of these, but FLING really feels to me like that punch you never saw coming. Beate nailed..."mini but huge."

David, thanks so much for your generous comments. I really appreciate it!

All three are great, but Fling got mto e the most. Flinging coffee at the Pope is my phrase of the week.

Thanks Joe, so pleased to provide you with your phrase of the week!

haunting eye-blinks of prose, RV - I like this form very much.

Julie, you are so kind, my dear! Thanks a ton.

I especially like 'Rejection'. Spare, succinct, gemlike, both funny and haunting. Not easy, that :) *

Thanks so much, Mark!

Leave it to me to like the unpublished one best. Shows you why I get so many rejections. :) *

James, I had to chuckle at your comment. Every time I throw a three-way party up here, the one that gets left behind is my favorite, too. So thanks for liking the underdog. As far as rejections go, well, those folks are just plain nfortunate not to have your work.

Even though two of these were published separately, I think all three hang together and form a coherent whole. Details of distinction.

*

How kind of you to let me know, Bill and your sentiments are always deeply appreciated. Thanks, also, for the fave.

ooh! 3 shorts that really got to me.
great piece

Thanks for reading and your generous comments, Estelle!

I like these -- tapas-style shorties, more satisfying than hints re story arc but still with that great lingering mouthfeel. Peace *

Your comments made my mouth water! Thanks so much, Linda!

I loved "Fling". Very clever- and touching.

Nora, you are so kind. I appreciate your read and comments.

Loved these. especially Rejection.

Thanks so much, Joshua! I am grateful for your generous comments.

Very short and beautiful. Like skipping through three puddles on a warm day.

So much in such little space. Very well done! Felt for the poor guy in Rejection. Maybe he had everything but the girl?

@ Ivan: thanks so much for your read and comments.

@ Berit: I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. And yes, I agree, it's all a matter of perspective for the fellow in Rejection. Thanks!

How do you tell such great stories in so few sentences? What talent.

Matt, I am so grateful for your generous comments.

Like a pair of short shorts exposes a lot of leg.

What a great comment, Tim! Thanks so much for your generosity.

My pleasure.

"Fling" really did it for me. Brevity rules. These three pieces are the quintessential example of Hemingway's "Iceberg Theory" of writing. Loved 'em.

Alex, thanks for reading these and commenting. Glad you liked them. I do have a thing for brevity. Go figure!

All 3 are excellent and inspiring. I've been looking for other short short for inspiration while I put together my own shirt short collection.

Short short*, sorry

Jason, thanks so much!

Each story draws you in, leaves you wanting more ... and wondering ...

Fave.

Deborah,

Thanks so much!

These are fantastic! Short but powerful with lasting imagery...very impressive.

Beset, thanks so much for your read and sweet commentary. Much appreciated.

So many have said so much of this story here, Robert. Little left to say except that you've written three pitch-perfect shorts. Each one better than the next. These are a reminder to those of us working with this form that we have to keep the bar this high, as high as you've set it with this.

Thanks, Shel. So nice of you to let me know, and what a generous comment at that.

Strange, haunting images.

Thanks for reading and commenting, Gloria.