A Fresh Start Will Put You on Your Way by Andie Francis

Where would an astronaut park her space ship? Considering she has pushed her bowling ball in anticipation of its collision, and life forms gather to hear Jailhouse Rock, the void is not completely empty. She is suspended with her back to an earth that won’t listen. Atoms, she thinks, appear as light, so no wonder Elvis is still alive. We used the word “gun” over…

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Revolution of the Bean

A flash thunderstorm hits Millennium Park. Tourists scatter as though coming under sniper fire. Some run towards the Pritzker Pavilion for shelter. Others flee in the direction of Michigan Avenue. You join a crowd taking refuge beneath the Bean. It seems like a good spot to wait. Silver rivulets of rain swirl over the sculpture’s mirrored curves. People look upwards and murmur in aesthetic appreciation….

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Waiting for Friends

1 A kettle of turkey vultures is doing that thing. They soar in one place, black wings widespread, catching the updraft to nowhere, stuck in the blue expanse like freckles on a face. They form no shape, but are framed between two tall buildings, air conditioning units and clothes coloring the sides. If this is the Caribbean Sea, if the vultures are sharks, and we…

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