Silent Harp

As Rixel flicked through the mail, a small handwritten envelope caught his attention. His mane flared, and he sat back on his haunches, wings opening and closing in consternation.

What I wrote

I wrote you a letter yesterday, while the sun slid down, our son squalling in his sheets. I wrote, I filled three sheets word by word, letter by letter before I turned the lights down before I sang him down to sleep, and down came the rain in rivers and in sheets. This much is … Continue reading What I wrote

Big Ricky

When I was in fifth grade, my school bus driver gave me my first-ever cassette tape: Van Halen’s 1984. I don’t know what prompted him to do it. Big Ricky* was a heavyset black man who never got mad and always had a smile for even the worst-behaved kids on the bus. Maybe he looked … Continue reading Big Ricky

Winner takes all

Barbi stands with her back to the mountains, arms raised. Behind her, heat-haze suggests a lake where there isn't one. Jack revs his engine. For a minute, I forget I'm gonna lose. When the dust settles, Jack’s waiting, already smoking. Barbi, though, she saved her smile for me. Featured image by Norbert Schmitz from Pixabay

Resilience

It's seven o'clock and I'm completely brain dead. I can't even imagine how my kids feel, but they're resilient. Or so I'm told. We've been at this online school thing for three and a half weeks now, and the kids are just getting the hang of the new routine. I have to say: their schools … Continue reading Resilience