More Than Corn
Feb 27th
Carol’s sky blue Festiva pulled into Mickey’s short slanted driveway. He rubbed his hands together and exhaled through rounded lips — watching the steam burst into the open starry sky. The door opened and legs jutted forth as evidence of a full, good natured ride. He nestled in — squirming his way to the middle [...]
The Call of the Zulu
Feb 26th
My teeth actually chattered as the wave of beer crashed over my red face. Clothing had fallen under the jurisdiction of a tree-climbing rugby hobbit. A circle of large, hairy trolls stood complicit — I in the center — as they chanted “ZULU, ZULU, ZULU.” These things just happen so fast…
Some people want an identity, [...]
Yanstebangus: Nextings 4- 6
Feb 24th
4
“Can I get another ‘Amen?’” The spotlights made Brother Claghorn’s dazzling white teeth look almost cartoonlike, as if they were lit by an internal light source. Brother Claghorn would assure you that the phenomenon was the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would move him, as long as the coffers were in [...]
graffiti love
Feb 23rd
mister
don’t steal into my heart
like a vandal
and spray paint
your graffiti love
on the walls
don’t saunter down the steets of my brain
flashing that million dollar smile
don’t lean against my eardrum
and whistle for a taxi
don’t carelessly splash through my blood
as if it were a dirty gutter puddle
in city mid-summer
mister
don’t scribble your
graffiti love
on me
and call it art
Hear Our Prayer
Feb 19th
We sat in spectacular St. Charles Church: the columns sculpted from stone, the artifacts priceless. The vaulted void ceiling kept us small…thoughtful. The children were present in mass; it was time for petitions. Fifteen children had been selected to read personal testaments — they would profess their thanks to the congregation.
The first few were unthoughtful…dull [...]
Tom Experiences Pelvic Tenderness
Feb 10th
by Doug Ullrich
“Lunch time!” Tom spoke the words with his usual jovial, personalized dialect, an almost childish, Sean-Conneryesque slur of words, born from heavily saliva lubricated tongue and cheek movement. This was one of a few trademark utterings during the course of a normal day, almost always spoken in light of consolation for whatever [...]
marathon
Feb 4th
As a child, she ran around the playground: playing tag, participating in childhood games, racing friends. On one occasion, she fled a stranger bearing gifts and candy.
In school, she ran for sport. Track star. Soccer team. Athlete. Trophies and medals. She even ran for class president; another race won.
In [...]
Target Market
Feb 3rd
“That’ll be 69 cents, sir.”
His hair was in his eyes — it swayed back and forth as he searched his pockets for change. He patted each pocket several times, then repeated. He rifled through his wallet — dropping several customer membership cards at his feet. The line slowly grew behind him, but felt no sympathy [...]
Yanstebangus: Beginnings
Feb 3rd
Welcome, Synopsis fans:
With shifting points of view, this is a semi-autobiographical tale of the entertainment juggernaut known simply as Yanstebangus. Focused loosely on how they come together, and why, this cautionary tale is fraught with portent—starring Mack Truck Assembly-Line workers Eddie Fraught with George Portent. How could we give any more away? And [...]
Rules & Regulations
Feb 3rd
Dear Mr. Tark,
I received your appeal regarding your recent ejection from a soccer match. While we at RecSports strive to preserve the free spirit of recreational athletics, our policy clearly states that you must meet in person with the Assistant to the Director of RecSports and deliver a verbal apology for your transgression. Until then, [...]
Masochistic Burnout
Feb 1st
I walked timidly up the steps to the pale blue door. The sign said “NO SOLICITORS.” I turned back as the Aerostar pulled away — no backing down now. Afterall, this was a friend’s house. A little social anxiety never killed anybody.
The doorbell glowed yellow — I stared at it blankly for a spell. I [...]
