by David Armand Every time he bought a pack of cigarettes— Camel Special Lights, which I don’t even think they make anymore—my friend Nik would peel off the cellophane, open the box, and pull one out; then he’d flip it upside down so that the filtered end was at the bottom of the pack and the…
by David Armand Every time he bought a pack of cigarettes— Camel Special Lights, which I don’t even think they make anymore—my friend Nik would peel off the cellophane, open the box, and pull one out; then he’d flip it upside down so that the filtered end was at the bottom of the pack and the…
by Chris Dungey With first light and all through the bitter day, a dandelion lint of snow settles. Each filament gathers dust bunnies loath to press flat those beneath. For the first time in a month, a man stands in a mirror knotting a tie that has no silk-screen Santa monogram or carol button. A neighbor’s dog heralds an approaching…
by Mike O’Brien It seemed like a good idea at the time, mixing fish food in with seeds, suet, and lard to make fat balls to hang around the garden. Our feathered friends seemed to thrive on them. So we kept on making more. After a few months we began to notice subtle changes in…
by David Armand Last spring I planted a wisteria tree in the yard with my father. It was the third time we’d met in person, having known one another for only five years. Until then, neither one of us knew the other existed, but I had taken a DNA test on Ancestry and…
by Chris Dungey These ingredients were printed on a crème-colored envelope wedged between toilet tank and wall— an unopened sachet or potpourri. We couldn’t tell, but there were red line sketches—of leaves, sprigs, poinsettia. When for? The Holidays were past—but “Scents of the Season” it read, in English. Still, through February the pouch waited to be poured into an exhausted vase of…
by Susan Pendley somewherein my dreamsand when I wake,the relentless crawler ticks.A senseless scrolling of regrets.I want to wind downinto that prairie-dog townand find you theregnawing on the cornersof my mind.If I wander through the mazeyou madewould I see you there?Could I touch youand hear your voice? I run through…
by William Heath On the Serengeti you see so many edible animals roaming about, you wonder why there aren’t more lions around. They could feast on at least three squares a day and grow enormously fat, their kids could multiply and do the same. But it seems one feast on a juicy flank is enough to keep your African lion satisfied for…
by Kelly Sicard May we open our eyes to those who suffer. But if we are blind, may their cries and stories reach our ears. And if we are deaf, may their voices echo so they quake in our hearts. And if our hearts are hardened, may memories of grace-filled hands lifting us crack them open. And if our…
by Gil Hoy Last night we squabbled again in my dream. We squabbled about whether we’d been in love With each other and never another. And when we both agreed we had We fought about who’d loved the other one more, and why. I won that argument too (as I usually did) or maybe …
by Bill Derry It is you, Carlos flashing your brilliant smile cruising your new bicycle sporting your black hoodie unabashedly you Yes, you, Carlos, innocent, eighteen, inquietante a spotless record already employed a consternation to your neighbors perturbador de la paz Yes, your Spanish-speaking, legal asylum–seeking, ideology-wreaking self,a palpable threat una verdadera amenaza So, of course, the early morning raid from ICE…