There Never Was a Mainland

We burned fast that summer. The boats had stopped coming. The water kept us there. That’s the thing about... more

In the bag the child swam and twirled and stopped long enough to meet the eyes of the camera. 

My sheets got dripped on. We didn’t finish all of it. I fell asleep with the taste of it dried around my lips. Sweet, for a little.

On November 13, 2012, Hugo Dos Santos awoke shortly after 1 am with an urgent need to urinate. He got up from bed and took two steps out into... more

It usually happens after dessert, when my sister is scraping the birthday cake frosting into the garbage or covering the holiday pie... more

The sun is a dwarf star 93 million miles away. The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, a spiky glass appendage that sprouts out of the Royal Ontario Museum’s original brick in downtown Toronto, was unveiled on August 5, 2007. 

It was getting dark outside as me and Naoki walked down the paved footpath of my West Shinjuku neighborhood to the subway. It was rainy, and... more

It doesn’t make the sound that you think it would make. I mean, I figured it would be loud, or top-heavy. But it sounded like almost... more

In this one, nothing will happen, like in life, unlike in life, where everything happens.

[Menopause is seated in the easy chair stage right. She is wearing a pink, bedazzled track suit. She has before her the full-length mirror. On the floor next to her, a set of hand weights, which are also pink.]

They sat on the grassy bank, clothes clinging to their wet bodies, watching the river flow. A few raindrops splashed on the surface, tiny dimples rushed away downstream. Neither of them bothered to point out that it was going to rain.

I stopped drawing stars on my student’s papers. Stars are dying suns shouting out “goodbye!” as they disappear. Why should that signify... more

I was at a party for the end of the world. I came so I wouldn’t be alone. I guess so did all the other women. They must... more

We were listening to the bombing over the radio while my mother drove me to confirmation class that night.  The radio said We... more

I could take my hands off. Just unlock them at the wrists, snap them off like the heads of artificial flowers. As long as... more

The man keeps thinking about the power lines—the ones that are strung over his house.

Sometimes at night, he can hear them up there,... more

They never seemed to notice me, not even when I rolled up my uniform skirt, like the other girls did, and walked the stairs in front of them.

I’m in the parking lot, I’ve got Sarah’s prescription, Sarah’s my wife, and I see him.

Osama bin Laden.

“Violent dog,” I said, passing the leash to Karen.

“Just toothy,” Karen said, blotting her knuckle with gauze.  “He’ll live alone.”

We went to the college up north to get away from our families, but we didn’t leave behind our need for something like a domestic bond. 

Aaina’s mom collects shiny things like a magpie. The one time Aaina sneaked me into her house, I walked past rows of gold photo frames, silver handicraft elephants and raindrop chandeliers.

“I saw you by the river last night,” Amy says, her eyes still closed and half-covered by strands of almond-brown hair. “Why didn’t you follow me?” 

They laid out their sweat-stained clothing while the geyser was quiet, placid. They backed away and waited for her to erupt. 

There was no doubt in Bea’s mind that they referred to the geyser as “she.” 

I am glad to report that the Great Iowa State Fair Haiku Contest was a roaring success. 

I smile into the mirror. There is lipstick on my front teeth. I don’t rub it off.