"And when the end of the world comes, will this undersized planet go up in flames like a dying star, or will we hardly have time to blink before it's over?" The steps are too rough for her bare feet. She sits on them anyway, resting her hands against the weed-ridden concrete and smiling as … Continue reading testing the darkness
Here, the grass grows thicker and somehow softer than anywhere else. The pale green stems, tugged away from the earth, would be wide enough to fold into tiny paper (grass?) airplanes, if you knew how to do it right. The sky is crossed with a single power line, three small birds clinging to the wire, … Continue reading gently
Sunday morning, and the roads never had a chance to be silent. Day breaks, light climbing the walls as someone has their first taste of oxygen and someone has their last and the rest keep living in the in between. They're waking up slowly, sheets twisted, sun on the ceiling and the floor and the … Continue reading how to be human
The roof of the hotel is silent and cold. A gentle wind pushes dead leaves across the concrete, tossing them off the edge to tumble slowly towards the street below. I lay on my back, looking at the foggy sky, and listen to the phone ring for a long time before anyone answers. "Who is … Continue reading slowly / 5
I lean against the bars of a prison cell, hands in my pockets, staring at an unshaven man recently convicted of first-degree murder. He sits on the floor with bloodshot eyes, cursing softly as I sink down across from him and study the way he’s folding his legs. An attempt to copy his movements only … Continue reading ending / 4
Standing in this graveyard, you could almost believe that the planet isn't turning at all. The sky, strangely pink, is the only thing alive as I sit on a headstone and listen for anything—a heartbeat, a footstep, a gasping breath. Do they bury them alive? “What do you think you’re doing, kid?” I jump violently, … Continue reading heartbeat / 3
Everyone in this city seems to be in line for a Subway sandwich. The tile on the ceiling is yellow, and the woman in front of the line takes her time, talking loudly to a man with a hairnet and a sullen expression. He wraps the sandwich in paper and hands it to her with … Continue reading paper / 2
The inside of the taxi is simple—rain sliding across the windows, tires humming against wet asphalt, a blurred world shifting beyond the glass. I tug at the peeling leather seats and watch as the driver, tall and quiet, switches on the radio and sways to the music. Her close-cut hair swishes around her face as … Continue reading dancer / 1
"...and sir, I'm telling you, this is it. This is the one." The triumphant man leaned forward, disheveled hair falling into his face, eyes bright with excitement. "This will be the story that changes the world." The well-dressed executive on the other side of the desk folded his arms, tired gaze shifting from the author's … Continue reading green
It's getting closer to midnight, my eyes are growing heavier, and after I finish some online homework I'm off to collect armfuls of blankets and maybe even a few stuffed animals. It's cold tonight, and there's a tent waiting for me in the backyard, so I have to be prepared with plenty of warmth in … Continue reading until it sounds right
midnight mind 