Collecting Earwax
You seem to like collecting so I could, I suppose, suggest that you might consider collecting earwax. It can, after all, be scooped out. That way you could keep it in a jar and stored on a shelf alongside your other containers full of belly button fluff and miscellaneous foot scrapings. This would allow you […]
Birthday Beer
My wife called and told me to come home. I finished my birthday beer and drove home and the driveway and yard were filled with cars. Some surprise birthday party. I grabbed a drink from someone’s hand and walked around the gathering. I looked and these were not my closest friends, in fact, not my […]
This is Life
Mamma stayed in bed again today. Papà says to let her sleep. He says five out of eight children isn’t so bad. Sister will do Mamma’s chores for now. And at least now, Papà says, I have my own bed. People come and people go. This is life, and we must move forward, for if […]
Spaghetti House
When Maria regained consciousness in the hospital bed, she didn’t understand why she was there. The last thing she recalled was having dinner at Spaghetti House with her friend Anna followed by some last minute Christmas shopping for her two grandchildren. When a patient care representative came in to get information, Maria debated if she […]
Watershed
In another, more perfect universe, Charles doesn’t live in an army surplus tent by the Los Angeles River. In that reality, he’s an engineer who designs bridges for his boss Mr. Crawley, whose daughter Ginny is a friend. Their kids go on playdates, and they sit on the edge of playgrounds with apple slices in […]
The Creator Will See you Now
There’s a door, adorned with the words ‘What You Deserve Awaits Within.’ You’ve noticed the lack of pain, that had previously been oppressive and omnipresent, and how your breaths are no longer shallow scrambling desperate sighs thrashing through your throat. It occurs to you you’ve died, there can be no doubt. When there really was no getting out of […]
AUTORENLOFT: NEW SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE WRITING IN BERLIN
What do Kafka, Twain, Isherwood, Grass, and Sontag have in common? If your first guess was to say that they are all writers, then well done, you’re correct. But if you also said that they spent long periods living in Berlin, then congratulations – you get the gold star! This city has always been a […]
The Best Day of My Life
There’s a demon on her head. Right now it’s sitting nestled in her hair, legs sprawled, heels resting left and right on each eyebrow. I watch it spit in her coffee as she takes a sip. An expert spit. Obviously, this one has had some practice. “Thomas, are you ok?” “What? Oh, I’m fine. I […]