A bottle of holy water from Lourdes sat on the floor of the cloakroom, just inside the door, untouched by anyone except Ma who used it to refill the tiny china containers hanging on the walls of every room. Was the water used up by the dipping fingers which subsequently crossed chests looking for absolution …
I wake in my mosquito net cage. The morning din has begun: disco music blasting from the kiosk across the street, motors roaring, the berserk cries of the fighting cocks my uncle breeds. Light falls through the window slats and marks stripes that stretch like boredom across the bare floor. I am the last up. …
for E.L.H. This is a letter. Like most letters, it is for a recipient we all call you. Like most senders hope, I want the recipient to smile. Smile wide: like an ivory gorge. The first thing most people notice are teeth: are they soft and gleam, or are they tartar-stained and sharp? This letter …
“Where should we start?” I ask. “Maybe at either end,” shrugs the nurse. We glance at each other – my love and I – and nod in agreement. She takes the head, I take the feet, working towards each other. “Nice and warm,” I say. “Microwave,” says the nurse. “I can put in more if …
Westbound on the Mass Pike, with Cheryl and friends of ancient standing, I’m destined for a vacation at a woodsy cottage in the Catskills. It will be an indulgent luxury, and my anticipation is compounded with the joy of not driving and therefore not having to navigate the sclerotic reach between Worcester and I-84 at …
Jesus was drinking wine when the guests crashed onto the dinner table. Creatures the size of cats with small ears, pointy noses, and turquoise hair covering their bodies scurried around the turkey and knocked over bowls of corn and peas and carrots. A few lay on their backs around the mashed potatoes, pretending to play …