This one is fresh. A million pieces of windshield glittering in the sun. A woman holds her arms above her head, she weeps. She knows they’re lucky to be alive. Knows they’re even luckier to be unhurt. A man rubs his face, looks at the mess he’s made. Wonders how they’ll get home, how he’ll […]
Yearly Archives: 2015
Peter, put away your sword
Sunday, June 21, 2015
We pretend this place is safe. But this place is littered with the lost, crawling with the hateful, lousy with monsters. With easy access to firearms. Capable of killing nine people in under a minute. This place is very scary indeed.
Veterans press 1
Saturday, June 13, 2015
I went to the VA in Iowa City. Talked to a PhD student. She gave me articles to read. I went to the VA in Topeka. Talked to a Doctor. He gave me a Bible to read. I went to the VA And in the waiting rooms I talk to veterans who know Why I’m […]
Farewell Bend Motor Inn
Sunday, May 31, 2015
I hope for rain. I talk too much when I’m drunk. When I’m stoned. I don’t even know what I’m saying mostly. I watch this river snake its way to the ocean. I don’t like oceans. I do like lakes. I can wrap my head around the idea of a lake. I watch these trucks […]
Meanwhile, up on Cabbage, the gods of winter plot their revenge
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
In the middle of Ohio there’s a demolition derby. It’s called Bash for Cash. Or some other rhyming scheme. A flooded farmer’s field covered end to end with RVs and campers. I walk through a maze of drill sergeants and flags and land mines. Never finding an end. I wake feeling confused and lonely. And […]
Nebraska
Friday, May 15, 2015
In Omaha we walk along an artificial river. Lost, late, looking. For something unknown. Knowing there’s only nothing. The sky turns dark and angry, throws hail at the earth. We run, seeking cover. Finding none, we run. The sky turns blue and bright and the birds come out to play. We find a place of […]
And Kurt Cobain is still dead
Sunday, May 10, 2015
The snakes are hiding, the tigers are sleeping, the gorillas are fighting. But the penguins are having fun.
It’s only worth anything because the government says so
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
There’s a new girl working at the cold storage. Young, blonde, bright eyes. The line moves so much more slowly now but nobody seems to mind. Someone gave her an expensive looking thing to wear on her finger. But truck drivers are unimpressed by diamond rings.
Freedom is something you assume
Thursday, April 23, 2015
The woman who collects my piss is standoffish. She issues orders in curt voice. Tells me to empty my pockets, tells me to wash my hands. She’s a police wearing scrubs. When I’m finished, she’s standing outside the door. She smiles. “Show off,” she says. Which confuses me. Peeing is easy.
Deadly force was authorized
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
The night before Christmas. Rain falls steadily from low clouds. We are refugees in a downtown bar. We chase the acid with Irish whiskey. Chase the whiskey with PBR. There’s a bell next to the door. We stand there giving angels their wings until the bartender invites us to leave. We walk home through the […]