1554 6 4
|
Too often, Calvin's willful head finds its way into his hands.
|
15541613
|
|
155441
|
The capsules tumble around, one of them plinking against the crown in my upper-right jaw. I hate the crown… a mute reminder of the first time Brad hit me. Swallowing the capsules, my tongue probes the left side of my mouth, finding the other two crowns…
|
155442
|
Accidental suicide, though. Why, that could happen to anyone.
|
155443
|
The first time I ever held a gun, I was three years old...
|
155441
|
You gather their faces in the palms of your hands and their purple eyes blink, blink, unseeing.
|
15541610
|
Lavender, a Liberal Betty, batty from hormones, in a fanciful fit, named her daughter Lavender. Husband Don winced. Brothers Donald, John, Billy, and Tom were puzzled and pleased by this sister, this girl, who was a little bit like them, yet not like them at…
|
1554113
|
Ego bereft of consistency Betrays a heart hungering to toll. Unable to trust its will Or harbor imaginary gods, It gains a hold melding into a role whose proven viability Can give convincing cover To buy time to fabricate An identity that feels unique, Yet…
|
1554146
|
|
155333
|
At least ten people have been shot by their dogs since 2004, usually in hunting accidents. (AARP Bulletin, January February 2016)If somebody phones you claiming to be with the IRS, it's a scam. The real IRS will only open communications with a taxpayer via the U.S.…
|
155334
|
Wednesdays were humiliating. Third graders had to bring in twenty-five cents for class dues. If you forgot, the teacher would write your name on the board and it would stay there until you settled your debt. My family could afford the weekly quarter; the problem was…
|
1553115
|
There are no inspirations./
There are only the things I like/
and the much more numerous//
things I do not like.
|
1553107
|
You stretch my heart / in sacred ways
|
15531311
|
Ah, how sweet is forbidden fruit, how delicious undiscovered sin!
|
155331
|
|
155388
|
I caught her a-feasting with her eyes and smilin' at that Jesus- haired Waffle House cook, Dennis Roy, again and I said, “Merlene, my tiny kitty-kat, they's no reason to carry no torch for him ‘cause he may not be with us very long ‘cause, if you notice, they's no…
|
155397
|
Weight of faithlessness...
Mist
Of bodily
Existence
Grave expectations for the future
|
15531814
|
When I got home from work I parked my briefcase in the hall, acknowledged our dog and immediately went into the kitchen where wife, Sherry, was cooking supper. Without turning around at the sink, she said her usual, How was your day? I said, Fine, and yours? She turned…
|
155300
|
We named her Big Cat—I don’t know why. Maybe because she was already grown when we got her, unlike the kittens we’d seen in the pet store window that Dad wouldn’t let us have.
|
155333
|
I immediately felt anxious guilt, being the one responsible for opening the way for infection.
|
155353
|
Benjamin stands beside his bed and unpacks his few things – wire cutters, knife, tape, line, two blocks of C-4, wallet, brush, and a small stuffed animal – a monkey.
|
155231
|
My dad was an Army Reservist stationed in the U.S.—New York and Texas—the bugler in his corps. He golfed on summer weekends at Hazeltine in the course of his career. I had seen houses water colored prettily within the lines on L.S.D., after noticing not
|
155263
|
When I arrived in heaven
Calling out your name
Running just on vapor
Leaving my old flames
I thought I saw you singing
Dripping from all sides
Crying like a rainbow
Reliving our old lives
|
155255
|
|
155200
|
I remember one time when we played strip poker in the basement of your house on Euclid Avenue, me, Terry, you and Andy. And I remember drinking lots of wine and fixing the deck so that you kept losing and having to take off all your clothes, and still you
|
155265
|
He stops smiling and only
says he loves me when prompted,
as if asking me to pass the salt
for his inner peace as it tastes too bland.
|
155273
|
life is a lucky thing, bountiful among the
drugs and flowers
|
155232
|
Michiko stood in front of Steinway Hall on West 57th Street.
|
15521610
|
|
155211
|
years later, she won’t go near the trees
|
