by Carol Casey The path is trodden, dusty, level.You know it will take youwhere many have gone. Step off—tangles of brambles,sometimes with blackberries,more often with little clawsthat catch on clothes and skin;and tortuous tree roots—inconvenient, sacred data unearthed—subterranean snakelets somehowsifted into snarls for feet to catch.There are stems that twine…
by David Armand My brother and I are playing outside while our dad nails together the frame for a rabbit cage. It’s for our sister who’s out at the store with Mom. They’ve taken the only car we have: a blue Pinto we rent for sixty dollars a week, a…
by Rebecca Carenzo “If you can guess what I have in my pocket, you can have it.” “Excuse me?” I ask, turning to face the harried-looking stranger who’d just addressed me out of the blue. I didn’t have a chance to finish my answer before I felt the forceful jab…
by Destiny Cook They say that with hard work, just that. And dedication. We can escape this prison, this trap called desperation. The one we’re all broke in, Struggling. You know, except that one percent. We can fight until we die but it won’t make a difference. Uncle Sam pretends…
by Vanessa Kristovich Three dollars. That is all I have left. After a long period of being disabled I have exhausted my savings, borrowed my 401(k), and have almost exhausted my disability benefit. I will get a check in about two weeks, but until then, this is it. I place…
by M. A. Bookout We were flying N.O.E. (Nap of the Earth) low and fast. The UH-1H Huey, Helicopter quickly rose, just missing a mountain top. I had my feet hanging out and swore I could drag them across the peak as we sped past. We dipped suddenly into a valley,…