The Bat
byThe day the bat burns I get my first two-piece swimsuit. It’s orange and flowered with a white trim. It’s from Goodwill and the bottoms are too big, but my…
Stories
My Friend, Thomas Jefferson
byBack when I still thought I could be something, I took a night class up at Topine Community College with this guy who believed he was Thomas Jefferson reincarnated. His…
Would You Rather
byWYR see a giant spider that spun a web next to the headboard of your bed or notice when it’s gone? If you can see it, you know where it…
Planet X and the Summer of Doom
byWhen he gets better, Jeffrey Stacker says he’s going to visit Waco, pay his respects to Koresh’s fight against the Feds. He fires another shot at the computer parts we’ve…
Land of Enchantment
byI saw every dusty town from Abilene to Tucson from the passenger seat of our ’87 Ford Ranger. My skin boasted sunburns from seven different states. When I close my…
Regrettable Things My Father, Eugene Everett, Rhythm Guitarist for the Shivering Tommys, Has Done at the Circle Bar on Tompa
byThe building, said our mother, was like a breast: round, squat, whirling turbine nipple. An obscene place for obscene behavior. But the sopaipillas were good, so on weekends we went…
Hashtag Date Night
byThe sitter cancels, same excuse as last time. My fingernail catches the back-seamed tights I’d just pulled on as I journey back into jeans. I lay the snagged nylons on…
The Sledgehammer Game
byIt is August hot and the roof hasn’t been put on yet. Dickie isn’t the foreman but he’s furious about the delay. He makes one of his big scenes at…
Uncle Percy Who Art in Heaven
byTHE SUN IS GOING DOWN IN THE GALAPAGOS. Blue-footed boobies and penguins roost on the rocks by the sea where the turtles cruise through like underwater magic carpets. I got…
Histories My Brothers Taught Me
byYou were hatched, like a bird. The yard is a Confederate graveyard. Peter ran away. Mom used to be tan, like a sunflower, like a stick of butter. Pregnancy frazzled…