Most discussed stories

66 W

14721472 views55 comments44 favs

He said he'd meet me at the Lyric before curtains. For drinks. Only he didn't. Which was OK. The seat was softer, roomier without him. Buzzer rang, doors closed. His loss. Rusalka was clearer. More resonant. Vibrant. Better. …

The Heart Does Not Know What It Cannot Have

17781778 views55 comments33 favs

“I take him to see all those sexy movies,” she said, “because it puts the passion back in him. I love what he does to me when we get back home after those movies.”

#53 Cut Up

10791079 views55 comments44 favs

I loved her when she first came calling in the sodden dawn of spring. She was a strange and dangerous flower. Together we drank up all the money. The days staggered away like drunks lurching down a flophouse hall.

Vesper

12181218 views55 comments44 favs

. . . how a body calls in the dark. . .

It Was the Heart of the Sixties

945945 views55 comments11 fav

I remember Freddie K bringing these fat Thai joints back with him from Viet Nam, and just one of those things would get us all so stoned at parties in Jolene’s upstairs apartment that we felt as if we could float down the long flight of stairs like we w

Understanding Poetry, the Hard Way

722722 views55 comments00 favs

My relationship to poetry resembles that of Patty Hearst, the newspaper heiress, to her abductors.

Her Head Sounserals Away

14481448 views55 comments33 favs

"Bortne! Bortne! Shushort!" she exclaims, shooting her hands over her wobbly head in pleasure, causing it to again pop off. This time, it's a three story drop from a balcony. Terrified, he yells "Sneeeeew nuuuu! Oh nee padoooo!"

Bondage, to the rivers that bind

15291529 views55 comments33 favs

Waft­ing wisps of fond­ness twin­kling in time with fairy lights point­ing out lawns in cities

Coffee Foam

12731273 views55 comments33 favs

We entered the castle at dawn. The dim light feebly illumined an array of antiques and medieval weapons. Bats dangled from the high vaulted ceiling, enfolded in membranous wings. What were once chandeliers radiating light were encrusted with webs and the ancient wax…

Boring Boy

842842 views55 comments11 fav

Deslauriers taught that of the five derogatory items a girl could be—bitch, slut, tease, frigid, whore—tease was the worst. Having a German Shepherd at home protected Liz. My family had a cat, female and black.

Grandma's Fingers

12291229 views55 comments66 favs

her hands twined up, as carved from stone, each to fit the other.

The Medicine

12781278 views55 comments55 favs

It wasn't pain but half of it, so half of it I mended

More news, another fugue...

734734 views55 comments55 favs

...he'd made a regrettable deal for Monkeydick long long ago, and the pain was deep, and it never went away.

The Dead Horse on CNN

13931393 views55 comments00 favs

The dead horse on CNN was floating there in the floodwater

Scoop

16731673 views55 comments11 fav

“What about the other groups coming here?” I ask. “Were they asked what they wanted in these houses?” She turns and looks at me, like I've suddenly come onto her radar.

It Came to Pass After This

13681368 views55 comments33 favs

We sat in silence, the entire train, the few other passengers in anxious wait to see if I would change my mind. We all flipped pages, glanced up at each other, looked away when noticed.

C O N F L A T E

16491649 views55 comments22 favs

She jumped into the hole the other day. The hole that sucks little girls into the universe, and doesn't return them. I had to watch it. I had to watch her sitting on the dock. Lean over, and fall in. I couldn't have saved her. Nor God. Or Jesus. Not the bridge. …

Missed Connection

13521352 views55 comments22 favs

You said it looked like I could use some dietary counseling and rolled your eyes. I was too tired to be a smart-ass and just smirked. If you'd like to offer advice in person, reply here.

A Killing in the Market

14261426 views55 comments44 favs

Everyone hoped to be assigned somewhere they could just drop in on their way home for Memorial Day weekend. Someone said, Blake, you’re single. You hate your family, don’t you?

Strawberry Daiquiris

11391139 views55 comments55 favs

A hot summer night walks into a bar and orders a drink.

I Don't Know What This is About, But.

12221222 views55 comments00 favs

Bent, crooked and straight, knifed.

Fascination

24512451 views55 comments44 favs

It rained on the morning of the party, and the weatherman promised it would continue throughout the day. But Marilyn didn't mind. She actually preferred entertaining in bad weather. Her rugs weren't valuable enough to worry about, and the gloomier the sky

It's Always the Quiet Ones

12781278 views55 comments44 favs

I know this much: right now I’m over a thousand miles from my brother. I’ve been watching the odometers, adding it all up.

Detroit: I'm Emotionally Invested

15451545 views55 comments44 favs

I grew up in Detroit, and even though I haven't lived there since I was 18, I'm still a Michigander at heart. I'm also a (retired) bankruptcy attorney.You can probably tell where this is going. I own a Detroit municipal bond. It's a sewer bond, which means…

Blood By Pines

17661766 views55 comments55 favs

But all that they found at the top was bloody red spatters on pure white snowflakes. And beyond that footprints that got smaller and smaller until they disappeared completely into the spicy green pines.

Creative Handwriting

13961396 views55 comments44 favs

I found the hand eight months ago, after I planned to grow a meadow of tiny yellow blossoms in my yard.

Magic Jane

52465246 views55 comments33 favs

This is what magic feels like. Excitement. Clarity. Danger. Justice.

Moon Stone

16521652 views55 comments44 favs

It is late at night and you lean / over me to make sure your alarm is set.

CRITERIA

24002400 views55 comments22 favs

“I’ve gotta take a break from this,” Hector said. “I’m not feeling inspired right now. I’ve added about a thousand words. Why don’t you look it over and put your changes in?” “I can do that,” said Martin. “Impressive! That brings us up to nearly sevent

The Wind

25572557 views55 comments55 favs

The wind comes up relentless in the afternoon