Category: Archives

8am and on the table a Bagel With Jelly  an Empty Plastic Cup a Small Red Book we read the last words on the page Tempests dash by my darting eyes. orange juice carton says Shake Well and we know dad buys oj with Lots Of Pulp so we Shake Really Well pass it back [...]

They gobble their joy as I walk into their pen. Their spindly legs struggle to hold up their overgrown flesh. They’re hungry, denied food for the first time in their short lives. Encircling me and the food dish they seem expectant, unable to read the sadness in my eyes. I glance at my watch. Two [...]

When you first walk into the house, you have to find a place to start. You can work from top to bottom, bottom to top, front to back, back to front, or anything in between; it just matters that you find a place to start. This methodical movement from room to room is something you’ve [...]

On the subway, where the car jerks in tandem To the flickering of the electric lights, I saw a man sitting on the plastic chair. The bluish light gave his lips cyanide tint Reflected back from the glow of the screen That he clutched so tightly, like a lifeline. His cheeks were mottled; they reminded [...]

The sun sets over Cactus ribs sharp with shadow Arms lifted in praise. The sky is smeared With gleams of gold and russet; God’s spilled paint palette. The earth is rust-red, As though Abel’s blood cries out. It runs with the rain. Round nubs of mountain, Spines straining under silty skin, Every stone a cell. [...]

A Ceremony of the Nankhts was only celebrated once in a Queen’s lifetime. A day of offerings and celebration in honor of their patrons with a lavish ball when the moon rose. It was a little unusual that Fere’s Queendom would be hosting another so soon after her mother’s death, but the moon-watchers had called [...]

The bright night was cool as Tamao walked in and between the shadows of the small town’s streets and alleyways. The soft glare of a lamppost filled his eyes as he turned a corner and started walking uphill. The cobblestones under his feet must have been made of granite, for it glittered under the early [...]

Manasseh Loses his keys every morning Spills his coffee on wrinkled Button downs with novelty ties Leaves the door unlocked And the oven on just long enough For the smoke alarm to notice Causes his mother to panic Hears her tell him it’s Nephthys Taking him away slowly Pulls out of the driveway with no [...]

After Chen Chen I haggle with Jesus everyday like an unsatisfied customer trying to get a discount. Is there a return policy on frenzied thoughts that manifest in shaking limbs and bouncing knees? What about feelings of existential dread? Jesus rolls his eyes like a teenage girl chewing hubba bubba behind the counter. I was [...]

Growing up, I never really liked my name. I always thought it sounded generic or common. A name that has been used a thousand times before. That’s why when my mom told me that one of her name ideas for me was Nicollette, I was understandably annoyed. I remember when she dropped that on me [...]