BROWN by Violet Piper
"I cannot believe you got her a kazoo."
Gemma grimaced at her youngest child, Ayla, who spiritedly blew into my plastic birthday gift. The toddler accompanied the room as we serenaded her; she kazooed with...
NAMES, NAMES, NAMES by Jae-Hyun (Jesse) Cho
On my first day of school in second grade, Mr. Sharp asked my mother, Mrs. Kim, to come inside his classroom to ask if she had any questions. My mother shook her head no,...
SOME THOUGHTS ON THE UVALDE TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING by Yun Xiang Zhang
All claims I have made are tentative; I warn the reader against my bias, but I shall do my best to be honest and accurate. Discourse is welcomed.
“…yet another school shooting in this country…”
“One...
ALL THE NEWS by Thomas Hackney
Alien hunters come in all shapes and sizes. Some wear long flowered dresses, attend UFO
conventions and worship the deceased gods of Egypt. Some have advanced science degrees
and look for intelligently produced radio-waves. Most chase...
MEDITATION ON OUR TRUE LOVE STORY by Sandra Perez
Your presence was unexpected today. Restlessness had taken residence within me. Meditation was not my friend as the ache in my back, chores to accomplish, and thoughts of other times and places alighted in...
THE ART OF OUR NECESSITIES by Melissa Knox
After my husband died, my realtor cast his eye down the length of our living room, which could have worked as several bowling alleys, and nodded.
“I can do this,” he said with a...
HIGH SCHOOL ANGST by Joshua Abel
When I entered high school I had a full beard and a medical condition (a seizure disorder) that wasn't under control with medication. In junior high I was called Abraham Lincoln because of the...
THE YEAR OF THE RAT BABY by Ajit Dhillon
Our baby was born during the pandemic. In a heightened state of lockdown. With a team of overeager nurses checking in constantly because we were the only ones in the labor ward. In a...
GOING TO INDIA by Lynne Golodner
The Leaving
Between the tropical forest and the Dehradun airport, men watched planes land and leave. Arms overhanging the fence, chins on hands, they stared.
What did they see? People coming and going when they could...