In a language few people speak anymore, there is a word called samsara. Its meaning is uncertain. Some say it is about cycles of repetition. Others associate it with the consequences of actions, leaving an echo through lives that start over and over again, as though there is an etching in the fabric of […]
Em Falls
Em falls down all the time. I think of her as clumsy, but I never use that word. She’s on the road, roller blades, and hits a curb. This time, she falls on the grass, and she’s okay, but there are scratches all over her legs and arms from other tumbles. “I […]
Untouchable
This is a serious story. No magic. No unreality. Just human beings in a faraway land, doing the best they can. I remember feeling exhausted when I finished this story. It stays with me. Untouchable
September Story (Pt. II of II)
Strongly recommend reading Pt. I first. This story has a central continuity through both parts. Ashley has the door locked, the chain on. She sits with the phone in her hand, and thinks about calling 9-1-1, but doesn’t know what she would tell the police. Through the window, she can see the street. […]
September Story (Pt. I of II)
“Who are you?” Ashley asks the computer screen. There is a man in her photo. He’s wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, a white shirt. “I’ve seen you before.” She flips through the photos, to the day after. The man is in another photo, standing in the doorway of a bookshop. He is wearing […]
Obligatory sex scene
The last time I saw Ayeela with a man, he’d had braces and she’d thought you had to grab the boy’s ass when you were kissing. His name had been Riyad, a little Turkish boy who always wore a sweater, and sat on a green couch by the sidewalk. Ayeela and Riyad had […]
JK
The SUV goes down the road and turns around. It parks on the other side of the street. A man in a turban gets out and starts picking up tennis balls that have flown over the fence from the court. I’m watching videos on my front porch, on the other side of the […]
Best Songs of 2021 (So Far)
Like come on, what’s better than music? More amazing songs out there than I can keep track of, but here are the gems released in 2021 so far, that I’ve come across. I promise not to let you down! These are great. The Right Thing is Hard to Do – Lightning Bug Slow, serene, dreamy. […]
Cavegirl: Redux
I see him every day. He comes to the park and sits on a bench. He eats there and reads. Behind him are trees. When he leaves, I find what he has thrown away. They are wrappers and newspapers. At night, I smell them. […]
The Hum
‘The first time Jeff Topper realized that something odd was happening, he had been trying to return a wallet to a person on Bank Street. He’d run up to the person and handed it back. No response. The person had just kept walking. Jeff had waved his arms and dangled the wallet in front of […]