Neutral

Neutral Cheerleader smiles wear thin, from the inside out. And when there was nowhere left to hide, Daisy became Cobalt, and panning for Tik Tok likes suddenly stopped pressing down on them. She became they, and though the pronoun sat awkwardly, it changed everything: Cobalt became a diamond, made from coal.

Sanguine

Sanguine “I simply adore your work, Caleb. It’s so…..” Rupert wears a corduroy suit and cravat, takes a sip of chamomile tea while he tries different adjectives for size. “…..sanguine.” “Sanguine?”  “Yes, sanguine. N’est pas? What do others think?”  The retirees and book-clubbers murmur their approval. They could not agree more.  I sometimes turn the […]

Leaves on Frozen Ground

Leaves on Frozen Ground I griddle eggs. Over easy, the way he likes them. The way he demands them. The bastard adds hot sauce, dabbing it on, like he is ejaculating, butters a slice of toast untilyellowness pools in the soft, warm center. And then he begins to eat, in silence.I cross my arms and […]

Thirteen

Thirteen My Dad isn’t home from work yet. He must be working overtime again. When he left this morning, dressed in his work boots and British Gas overalls, I heard him tell my Mum that he thinks this will be number thirteen. He always expects the worst, my Dad. I hear the clunk of the […]

The Interrogation of Lauren Lundgren

A perfect hole in the ice, sawed clean and round,at Clearwater Lake, where grey meets greyand the horizon is just a scalpel cut.That perfect hole, where Ely Lundgren felland where Ely is still, clawing, a fossil trapped in quartz. A giant catfish, whiskers thick as hangman’s rope,tangled his line and pulled him down.Bottle o’ Jack […]

Sad-Eyed Jesus

Sad-Eyed Jesus I take one final gulp, then dump the rest of the bottle of vodka into the sink, watching the liquid circle slowly down the plug hole. At AA, we talk a lot about each day being a chance for a new beginning. But, Father Leopold taught me that there can be no beginning […]