FLASH

Small but mighty, these short, incisive pieces cut to the core in a just a few words.
Forest Walk on a Friday

Every time I come to the forest, it’s different, but so am I.

The Sweetness

I’m dancing with my best friend’s husband, under the influence of his jaws and thighs.

Little Cow

A man with a fistful of showbags said, “That cow sounds like a person trying to sound like a cow.”

Sisters of the Divine Apparatus

The day does not conclude with the gentle exhale of the earth, but with Mother Superior flipping the hourglass over, again.

The Bird That Carried One Hundred Messages To America

At the end of the meeting, the villagers agreed to contribute shillings and pounds to sponsor Elochi to a university in America.

Cost of Care

I reached for my invoice, which Dr. George, holding it between thumb and forefinger as if it were a soiled diaper, dropped into my hand.

Laika Came Home

When Laika the space dog comes back, bulleted to earth in a tiny white escape pod that dissolves upon opening, nobody can believe it.

Swoon

Jenna says that he typically goes for redheads, so I run to Target and buy a box of hair dye.

Alan Rickman and the Mermaids of the Conch Republic

Sound engineers believe Alan Rickman possessed the perfect male voice. Early acting teachers told him he sounded like he was speaking from the back of a drainpipe.

Here in East Greenwich

He used to hold my hand on Commonwealth. I wonder sometimes if he ever still thinks about my mouth.

graffiti on cement
Slabs

We drifted junk with a sledgehammer looking for juice. Sometimes the rage.

Dead History

Another image rises to us both: A man hunched before a TV, watching historical documentaries, correcting incorrect facts. Rasputin was not a priest, damn it.

forest fire
When The Ten Thousand Ton Trilobite Attacked

We said, Heck, that’s really something.

First Boyfriend

I run with a pack of older boys from our neighborhood, the only girl.

Smile.

At twenty, the world is yours because you’re beautiful. But never acknowledge your beauty, or it makes you a bitch.

Theoretical Debate

On the first day of our new life together, my husband realized that I was not interested in theoretical debate. He said it was okay by him and went out to get some pancake mix.

dead roses
The Cycle

It all started with the curse of my tits. Women’s bodies are cursed. Everyone tries to look at them, everyone tries to ignore them.

Ruminations

Through the dusty window in my parent’s bedroom, I watched the neighbor’s cattle graze.

Wilderness

The land here is scarred and wrinkled.

Junk

It was spring and the hills were irradient, like they had to get out all their green in one short burst before catching fire.