Camaraderie
In my junior year of college, I took a course titled “Modern Spanish Survey” to satisfy my Spanish major requirements. That semester we had a student from Russia named Yaroslav. During introductions on the first day of class, he said he came to the States when he was fourteen and was a third-year PhD student in Physics. When asked about… Read more →
It’s Raining Ropes
Alicia climbed the dirty cement steps from the platform to the train station’s street level and walked out into a driving rain. Il pleut des cords, the French would say, it’s raining ropes, and it did look that way, long strands of rain that seemed to hang mid-air before splintering onto the pavement. It was one of a handful of… Read more →
Lake Anza
Pacific golden-plover in the sand, I sit on the shore of Lake Anza and laugh. Playing cards with Aidan on a rock and pretending that the birds we see sing in A minor, we debate on whether or not we want to swim when the signs warn us of toxic algae in the water. The heart of the matter is… Read more →
C12H22O11
The last time I had sex was Thanksgiving Eve into Thanksgiving morning, 2019. This was the last sex I had with this guy I’ll call Jack. Jack and I had been having sex for about six weeks, not long enough or often enough (thrice daily), but it was always fucking awesome. Yeah, no. Jack and I didn’t have sex and… Read more →
This is Only A Drill
When the woman’s voice comes over the intercom, the students are taking a test. This is a lockdown drill, the voice says. Behave as if there is an active shooter in the halls. Do not leave the classroom until you are released. The woman sounds bored. Maybe it’s better that way, you think. An emotion would frighten the kids. The… Read more →
How to keep a relationship alive, according to experts
Headline from Brides Magazine // 24 June 2021 One night, five weeks after your funeralyou crawled out of your grave. You creptacross barren streets and gutters half fullwith autumn, dragging your legs and losing bitsof belly with each block. I didn’t hear your gritty, ceaseless groan when you struggled through the open window, when you writheddown the hallway, or at last… Read more →