by Susana H. Case Boy crazy, the doctor tsked— the phrase lodged in my mother’s throat, as she made sure she heard, repeating it correctly. She was easily fooled by the right diplomas. He prescribed black and aqua pills. I lost time in there; days ballooned away from me. Life is a candy stand with
by Peter Neil Carroll I like talking to strangers when I travel though limit my curiosity to chit-chat, so yesterday on the plane to New York I noticed a light-haired flight attendant whose Irish face reminded me of Caroline Kennedy. I asked in a friendly way if she was leaving home or heading home. She
by Kara Arguello We were over before the first plane hit. I just hadn’t told him yet. There would be no wedding party in mountain air, no wine-soaked dancing in the lodge. Life was a marathon of laughs turning to quarrels in bars, cigarettes, smashed dashboards, hangover mornings in a narrow bed. I wanted to
by Kara Arguello Ease up Calm down Soften up Back down Hush up Simmer down Tighten up Slim down Wake up Quiet down Toughen up Lie down Shape up Settle down Wise up Tied down Fucked up Not beaten down Kara ArguelloKara Arguello was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives, works, cooks,
by Jordi Alonso Rumi and Khayyam sang of god––or wine; Fitzgerald and Millay both liked their gin with or without a twist of Persian lime Dorothy Parker played bridge to drink and win, and Oscar Wilde was fond of chilled champagne. Poor Dylan Thomas had a glass of rye too many and though he did
by Nicholas Johnson I’m not cut out for life in the slow lane. Get back in the car and don’t slam the door. Don’t ask me to explain this epic catalogue of aches and pains. I don’t want to live like that anymore. I’m not cut out for life in the slow lane. I’m still
by Maria Lisella You let me, your stepmother, Take your hand to walk into the surf, let slippery seaweed wrap around your ankles like emerald ribbons. We step on the edge of lacey waves that feel like butter on hot skin. You hold back, your mother’s fear of the sea, fear of me, sways you.
by Cameron Chiovitti After Hanif Abdurraqib What I mean is I have always hated raw tomatoes of any kind, but specifically cherry tomatoes. They are so small you could pop them in your mouth, like green grapes, but they are not sweet. Once,
by Talya Jankovits I. After I had a baby I sank deep into a tub murky with leaking milk. Daniel had to help me in and out— my limbs too heavy. She, too heavy. The small apartment fills with our weeping. The tub drains. II. Oh no, I said, I can’t take that medication. The
by Shira Dentz They say we went out on a limb, rustling more than flame between cracks, heat-packs. Moonlight hides, someone wrote as if the truth shows itself once a month, on schedule. The same goes for the entire secret. They say shadows are clues, nothing more. : : They say shadows are clues, nothing