FLASH

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

Damn Good Listener

I know you shouldn’t keep wild animals as pets, but I’ve had the same spider in my bathroom sink for over two weeks.

Ruminations

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

In Rare Cases…

You’re joking, I say, interrupting the steady bumping of the doctor’s bushy white mustache.

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.

Swoon

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

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.

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.

graffiti on cement
Slabs

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

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.

forest fire
When The Ten Thousand Ton Trilobite Attacked

We said, Heck, that’s really something.

Little Cow

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

The Rift

None speak of how the streets collide in coarse seams like scars, the fresh cobbles unable to level with the ones shaken from their mortar by uncountable seasons.

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.

Post Pregnancy Examination (Shortened Form)

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

view of earth from space
The Scattering

Allanson looked out of the viewport, at the ragtag flotilla of ships trailing behind, some of them slow to catch up. It was to be expected with the little time that they’d had to cobble the fleet together.

Teeth and Boyfriends

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

First Boyfriend

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

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.