The Audubon Bar

An image of a bat flying at night.When it was too late, we realized all the punks here dressed like birds. Ravens in the corner, sipping Cape Cods. Hector, with his Kodachrome Mohawk, surely a parrot. The Italian band in pink leather, flamingos every one. We, mere finches, near the Pac-Man machine making munching noises. We mourned Brad, Spider-Man in the superhero band, who yesterday had flown through his van windshield. Drunk, they claimed. But we knew. If he’d only picked Batman, we’d have seen him flapping under a low moon, his body rising above howling dogs, until we finches shuddered awake at 3.am., chirping for dawn.

Maureen Aitken’s short-story collection, The Patron Saint of Lost Girls, won the Nilsen Prize, the Foreword Review INDIE Prize (General Fiction, Gold Winner), and was listed as one of the Kirkus Best Indie books of 2019. The collection received a Kirkus Star and a Foreword Star. Her stories have been widely published, including in Prairie Schooner and in the international anthology The Bering Strait and Other Stories. She teaches at the University of Minnesota.

Photo Credit: Raghunath Thirumalaisamy

11 Responses to “The Audubon Bar”

  1. Barb Lhota says:
    September 2, 2021 at 8:45 pm

    I love this one!

    Reply
  2. Julie Gard says:
    August 14, 2021 at 3:38 am

    Vivid story, so short but dense with plot and imagery!

    Reply
  3. Margo says:
    August 8, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    Yes!! What a fun read and reread and again. Love you!!

    Reply
  4. Jeff G says:
    August 8, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    So much packed into 100 words. Great piece!

    Reply
  5. Cynthia says:
    August 7, 2021 at 6:09 pm

    Wonderful engaging story!

    Reply
  6. Margaret O'Brien says:
    August 7, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    Wonderful writing! I love the work that the title does here too.

    Reply

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