Man of Sorrows
By Kim AddonizioNot enough to get crucified. You’ve got to be covered with red spots like an anti-vaxxer’s kid’s measles. Blood everywhere.
Mysteries of Sex
By Kim AddonizioThings were going well, so I risked slipping my hand down my pants. I seemed into it, so I continued on.
My Sister’s House
By Mary GrimmI didn’t want to see the rooms half empty, each dish packed, each rug rolled up.
How My Mother Lost Her Voice and Gave Me Mine
By Nancy LudmererIn 1931, my mother Helen was 9. A daredevil, she challenged boys at their games, ignored their hair pulling, their scrunchy faces.
Ain’t Gonna Stick
By Lauren KosaBy the time I met him, in my thirties, my expectations were properly tempered.
Because Some Doors Never Open
By Tommy DeanThere’s something about a baby-gate left unhinged. The way it lists to the right like a barn door left open for a pregnant stray cat.
Photo Story: Paper Moon
By Mir-Yashar SeyedbagheriAstride the swing ride, sky opens, vast, deep, lavender. I should be scared, suspended in the air. But I’m not.
Meaning Given, Meaning Found
By Santino PrinziWe walk along the wooden pathways of Red Seabeach, breathing China deep.Crimson reeds glow, waving from the wetland like something fabricated.
The Muscovy Duck
By Jeanette ToparBalanced on a half-submerged log, she grooms her fine white feathers as if they are a mink coat, as if she resides high in a penthouse apartment.
Sisters in a Hotel Twin Room, 1988
By Lucy GoldringI’m doing a bum waggle dance at the window. Loosey goosey in powder blue pajamas. See my gone-wrong-Bond-girl silhouette? No other ten year old is this funny.
Photo Story: We’re Not Speaking
By Francis J. TrautmanWhen I attempted to sneak back home near dawn, she was there on the porch in her orange wig, red nose, and white pancake makeup. She pointed at an invisible watch on her wrist and then drew the finger across her throat.
The Crayfish Seller
By Richard BerryA woman walks past my stall every afternoon in this spot at 4:15. Never 4:10 and never 4:20.
A Clean Sweep
By Donald RanardShe was bending over the dining room table taking a close-up of a vase. The table was covered with vases and bowls.“What’s going on?” he said.
Why I Got Written Up by the Manager at Uncle Earl’s World-Famous Bar-B-Q
By Kathryn KulpaSmother me in redneck kisses. Pour that smoky Bar-B-Q down my neck and lick it off, no rush.
Of spiderwebs and broomsticks
By Sandra ArnoldI took down the get-well cards on my daughter’s wallboard. A scrap of paper under a silver horseshoe with a date in her handwriting.
The Devil’s in the Details
By Pamela PainterA priest and a rabbi come out of a bar. No one saw them go in. No one saw where they sat, what they were drinking or what they said to each other.
Photo Story: Rain City
By Lucie BernheimBen gets up to wash the dishes. I down the glass of wine I was drinking and pour myself another. My arm cast almost knocks the bottle over, but he saves it.
