The bullet strikes me in the lower abdomen as I’m climbing the stairs. If it was a normal bullet, it wouldn’t be lethal. But normal bullets haven’t been used in years. The bullet disassembles in my gut, splitting into millions of microscopic machines. The nanobots move from cell to cell like a cancer, ripping me […]
I held the pumpkin while Xavier drew. Two diamonds for eyes, a semicircle for a mouth, and an egg-shaped nose. “Great job,” I said. He beamed. I nodded to the facilitator, a bespectacled brunette in her twenties. She came over and handed me a serrated knife. “Call me if you need help.” I thanked her. […]
Coal to Burn the World I do not belong here. I, do not belong Belly down against flat earth I, Splinter like sheet glass beneath boots that crack my spine I. Do not belong. I, a feather bed to my own head My Own, very particular kind of madness Lying here, on the ground Life […]
Thorns I snag on things; Like the wind blown bags In the crooked fingers Of winter trees Or wool on a cold sheep’s back Clutched at by hungry thorns Or seaweed dashed and left dangling By eddying currents Against diamond sharp cliffs. I try to flow smoothly in the river of people But catch my […]