FLASH

Small but mighty, these short, incisive pieces cut to the core in a just a few words.
photo of windshield
Mother and Her Remains

Mama sped along the highway, unbothered by bits of gravel that flew up from the front tires and struck the windshield of the sedan.

forest fire
When The Ten Thousand Ton Trilobite Attacked

We said, Heck, that’s really something.

Smile.

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

Rose By Any Other Name

Kate Winslet always reminded me of my mom. Maybe that’s why, even to this day, I get defensive of Rose from Titanic when people call her stupid or shallow…

Greetings From Baja California!

Sitting at the bar on Pacific Avenue. With the seashells in the walls. Same bartender from last year, still here, making the same lethal Mai Tais.

The Sweetness

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

graffiti on cement
Slabs

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

rotarty phone
My Wife’s Phone

Sex is not a thank you card in this house.

Athena, the Octopus, Solves a Puzzle

The new octopus at the children’s aquarium was named Athena, and as we waited for her to emerge, I thought of the almost-too-faint second line on the pregnancy test three days before.

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.

Ruminations

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

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.

artwork with Venus
Light Pencils

The weeks go like this: accepting, horny, hopeful, sad. I’m four different people trying to establish one perspective on a major life event – on the creation of life itself.

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.

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.

First Boyfriend

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

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.

Teeth and Boyfriends

With great reluctance, I agree to meet a cousin for an outside lunch…

Little Cow

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

Post Pregnancy Examination (Shortened Form)

Infant’s Name: A
Delivery Date: August 1, 2002