And from there, the series of events became increasingly sketchy, the memories like a half-finished puzzle with remaining pieces that didn’t fit anywhere. The barmaid had arrived to take his order, then eyed us both with mistrust. I was already a potential problem, and now here was one of the community’s well-known criminals. To be […]
Fiction: Cheri Coke: Section One by James C. Stewart
It was the sound of waves on Lake of the Woods that woke me. The rhythm of the swells hitting the shore made the suggestion of wind. When it was calm, I’d awaken to birdsong and water lightly lapping at the beach. Today it was the chatter of gulls and the lake’s violent cadence that […]
Poetry: Master and Pupil
Master and Pupil by David Sapp When he was a young man, an earnest but nutty art student, Charles Robert came to my door painted head-to-toe in Ultramarine Blue, seeking advice and turpentine. Even then, he could have been a blue Krishna wooing Radha. Now colleagues, he is the swami, and I remain, as […]
Poetry: Forgoing the Invitation to Heaven
Forgoing the Invitation to Heaven by M. Ait Ali I move in life,―where all birds, animals, insects, and cloth-faced humans―dry or wet behind the ears and the eyes― were tripped up by the emerald rug of earth and withal its skillful questions and questioning tones. I foot the distance:―the pathway a teenager, who aged […]