A User’s Guide to My Heart Lesson 1: When you find it, throw it as far away as you possibly can, preferably, at a vertical angle. Know that there is no such thing as a friendly firework, that it will tail you like a greedy sun just waiting to ignite your everything and claim ownership over […]

Unpacking Straight Down The skydiver sighs the whole way down. Not even the bull could hear his feet lost in the grass. The colors engulf him, his parachute wrapped him for the first time. At some point it will be time to pack the backpack. It will be harder than the leap. From above the […]

We Were Tired of Living on Earth I. The wood panels on the wall began to flake and splinter. We saw, more than once, the face of Jesus Christ in carpet stains. The ceiling seemed to drip syrup; the vents coughed black ash. Our neighbors never smiled–in fact, I can’t remember their full-faces, only frowns. […]

Gunslinger After the Psych Ward She cooks alone at the stove in underwear. The water is cold again. Now hot. She wants to drown in a tubful of milk. Wants a bottle of champagne and a thimble from which to drink. She wants the forks to rise up like a readied battalion. She sips tea […]

I. There is only room for one. Concrete chairs keep the curious at bay. No one loiters here. Once a wayfaring stranger didn’t mind the grit: the cold grey contoured to his body. II. Our story captured in one shot. An aesthetic choice? We couldn’t afford  more film. III. I did not want, until you […]