Prose, Poetry, and Art since 1956
Most of us hand off traumaslike traditions, the bloody, mud-crusted baton a father bats his son withbefore the boy takes it running off into the dark future. The pain of being humanrains down fire unto the third, the fourth generation. But Dad—something happened with you. Somehow your body tented me, a fortwhose roof caught all the scalding rain and the ice of your father, the…
Stories We Were Told for Catherine Corless The young warrior Fionn didn’t mean to steal knowledge. He just burst the blisteron the scale of a mythical salmon roasting over the fire. He sucked his thumband knowledge entered him. Other Warriors: Setanta, Brian Boru, Sarsfield, Red Hugh, Hugh Dubh, Wolfe Tone,Robert Emmet, Daniel O’ Connell, Parnell, Father Murphy, Padraig Pearse;Michael Collins, DeValera. Cowboys shooting at ceilings…
Edith slowly pulled a faded ear off the rabbit. The toy was so worn from what she imagined to be clutching, and hugging, and tug-of-wars, that she only needed to pluck at the thread before his limbs fell into her lap. Cotton poked out through a hole where, five minutes earlier, his button nose had been. Musty stuffing filled her with warmth and contentment and…
When I discover my shoeunder her pillow and my credit cardsfloating in the tub, I kiss herfor finding them. Vile animal, she calls mefor taking her clothesand washing them. I confess. She changes my name: Peter toJoe to Elizabeth. Yes, I answer. We agree the neurologist stoleher driver’s license when she wasn’t lookingand that 2 a.m. is a yummy time to split a tuna fish and…
Saturday is small and full of bright hot life and love buns. I can’t taste the chocolate notes in coffee three, but Jesus turns the wet brown grounds toliquid light and I growthick roots, twisting down deep into the busy ground. This season is one ofyellow weather and mounds of sounds we only taste when we are finished making little sighs of soft delight beneath…