First published in bordersenses:
Everything Seems Dead
Everyone had lost something – a finger or toe,
friends, fluency, currency. Most still flew, though,
all that war training having some small part
in the other life. As a child, I feared being buried
alive above all else and made my father promise
to stab a stake of holly through my heart when
my time came to be lowered into the ground.
Instead of planning my funeral, my dad told
me I could ride in a helicopter with one of his
friends, who said, Everything seems so fucking
dead after Vietnam. Don’t curse in front of the little
girl, another guy said. She’s heard it before, he
replied. I nodded. Those were the days when I
saw a lot, understood little, much like now, I suppose.
Michelle's Spell of the Day
"There's only three things that's for sure: taxes, death and trouble." Marvin Gaye
Cocktail Hour
Classic Champale Cooler: Fill tall glass with Champale and ice, add a twist of lemon.
Benedictions and Maledictions
Happy Wednesday!
8 comments:
I can't understand why the prosecutor is doing this to me.--Kwame
I remember reading a story in Reader's Digest at my grandparents' house when I was about eleven. It was about a young woman who was kidnapped and buried alive in a coffin by her kidnapper. After a number of days she was dug up and rescued.
That story gave me nightmares for years. I wonder what her life is like now.
Hey Michelle,
The ears gave him away; I hope all is well at Orchid.
We hear too much, know too little.
Very true.
War is hell. The warriors never miss the parts lost to war until they have no one but themselves left to fight.
It is the same as children age to adulthood, the missing portion is undefinable but missing none the less.
Some of my friends come back to never speak about it again. Children and funerals... do they really ever comprehend the implications of ashes to ashes and dust to dust?
hey michelle.. it's jessica, i misplaced my permission slip for creative writing and there are six spots available and we all know how bad i want to take that class with you... i tried to call your office but it seems i can't get ahold of you, thought this might be better... hit me back soon
*shudder*
mine was always drowning, guess cuz i came close to, so often?
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