You were wrong about them, the silhouetted families, couples and children on the water tower. It doesn’t matter that you aren’t here, may no longer even be alive; I can hear you as well as if you were at my shoulder. They didn’t change, they were destroyed by the blast. But any change is annihilation … Continue reading »
Posted in January 2010 …
24 H Challenge – 14: Prelude
There is no news coming out of New York. Well – not through regular channels, anyway. CNN, MSNBC, Fox: footage out of Newport shows hundreds, thousands of baffled, exasperated people walking out of the Holland Tunnel. Again and again: It’s too bright, or I couldn’t stand that crackling anymore or Damn car just stopped. Look … Continue reading »
24H Challenge – 13: The Wax Children of Fatima
The molten wax was thick and moved sluggishly. Everything moves slowly in this heat, thought Duarte. He was nauseous from the close, overwhelming heat in his workshop. Only 8am and it was already 34 C. Never in his lifetime could Duarte remember suffering through such a brutal Fall season. All Duarte wanted was to return … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge – 13: This Is Not A Play
Ron: The two children who brought the family the worst sorrow were Marie and Henry. Susan: The only child who is still a devout Catholic is Sandy. You know, the retarded one. Grandpa: Most people can be nice. Just don’t expect too much from them. Ron: I was looking at the family photo album. … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge – 12: White Wilderness
“Hey! Those two are getting away!” I looked over; Jim was waving frantically to my left. I quickly moved my section of plywood around and closed off the opening the two lemmings had been racing toward. Embarrassed, I glanced over at Will. He shrugged. “Ready…” the lead wrangler called, “…and: go!“ Immediately, Will and I … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge – 11: Novato II
Hunching his wings like an old man, the statue took one step and glared at Agustín again. Continue reading »
24H Challenge – 10: RQ!
Normally in September the quarry was full of water, and ferns and poison ivy grew in a thick green curtain from the water line to the top of the cliff. This year, it hadn’t rained more than two inches since early Spring. The water line in the quarry had dropped nearly fifteen feet, and the … Continue reading »
24H Challenge – 9: Slice
“Excuse me.” “…” “Um, waitress? Excuse me.” “…” “Um? Eh – excuse me, um, miss?” “…” “…oh, come on…Excuse me!” “Okay, yeah.” “Can I please get a steak knife for this?” “Uh. But that’s pork.”
24H Challenge – 8: Science Camp
Rita sneezed the entire time. My friend Tia remembers the bone chart and the little silver instruments we used to pick out the tiny pieces of mouse skeleton; she recalls clearly that she got to wear purple plastic gloves, because she loved purple that year. Tia tells me that there was white butcher paper on … Continue reading »
Wednesday’s Post: Aftermath
What remained: -one stainless steel stapler with a sliver of your fingernail caught under the catch release -two pillowcases that still smelled like you for almost six months -a weathered tomcat who clearly resented me -the grandchildren of the wasps that you never quite managed to eradicate -a crumpled post-it: pls – skim!! milk, trash … Continue reading »
