in the kitchen. The can of red paint is on the floor. In the middle of the kitchen. The can is sealed shut. It is essentially a brand-new can. Full, anyway. The floor of the kitchen is covered with old floating linoleum. It is patterned, and cheap. The pattern is composed of blue and greenContinue reading “There is a Can of Red Paint”
Category Archives: Slice of Life
Incense and Peppermints
Tommy remained in bed, determined to enjoy the morning. Incense and Peppermints played on the radio again. Tommy liked the song okay but they played it way too much. He preferred stuff with a darker, harder edge. Purple Haze was a way better song. Light My Fire too. But at least The Strawberry Alarm ClockContinue reading “Incense and Peppermints”
Stab Wounds Everywhere
Lillian The caustic rain of lacerations began as soon as Lillian burst awake at six am. The memory of that morning’s coffee would wound her two hours later. A baby in a stroller wounded her on the way to the bank. She tasted blood on her gums. A bus with mute, mutated faces in theContinue reading “Stab Wounds Everywhere”
A Cold Breakfast
I was young once and it lasted a good long mile. Like my grandfather before me. You may have heard of my grandfather, if you’re a true crime enthusiast. He became an infamous spree killer way back in 1957. His transition was sudden. In 2003, some talentless hack cobbled together a short documentary on myContinue reading “A Cold Breakfast”
Smothered Under Heavy Cement…
It took a silvery sliver of a second. I was only thirteen. It happened so long ago… Then why does it still weigh me down like a pair of gangster-style cement shoes? The sudden snap of light startled me from my transition into sleep…. I’d been edging into the relief of a dream…and then myContinue reading “Smothered Under Heavy Cement…”
“Joe Here.”
“Joe here,” was the way Joe answered the phone when he was behind his desk at the law offices of Sobchak & Sobchak. “Joe here,” he’d say. Every single time. He never juggled anything up. He was staid and steadfast when it came to telephone etiquette. Joe never flirted with variety. His delivery was deadpan, allContinue reading ““Joe Here.””
The Found Tape
On October 24, 1993, while walking home from school, I found an old audio cassette by the roadside. It was a TDK 90 minute tape. The label on side 2 had been peeled off. About eight inches of tape were tangled and hanging out of the cassette. I managed to wind the tape back upContinue reading “The Found Tape”
The Crooner
The Crooner sat alone in his dressing room. He’d draped an old, stained tablecloth over the mirror and had unscrewed most of the light-bulbs around the frame. Dressing room lights were always too bright and the mirrors captured too many hard memories. He wore his life on his face. He lifted a pint of whiskeyContinue reading “The Crooner”
Imagining the Ordinary
It started with the teabags, but before that. It’s hard to be certain when an adventure really begins but if I had to stick a pin into a point and make a mark, it wouldn’t be with the worms, it would be with the teabags. Memories bleed into dreams. Or is it the other wayContinue reading “Imagining the Ordinary”
Adipocere
The story begins…. Becky stood on the rocky shore listening to the edges of the ocean. The lap and scatter of small seaweed-laden waves. She’d hoped the sudden change in environment would loosen the choking, unremitting clench of her life. Therapy wasn’t going well. Her therapist (Nancy) suggested this trip. She (Nancy) said that gettingContinue reading “Adipocere”
Crumbling Asphalt 