Stormy Weather
A storm begins as a harmless patter, a shuffle on the pavement, an occasional trip-trap coming down at the same tempo, target practice increasing in accuracy until its velocity becomes more insistent, a spring downpour, the ahhing of earth absorbing moisture, then rain plays a trick, comes down in lashes, a punishment for hours and […]
Dental Hygiene
The dental hygienist didn’t talk about her boyfriend or her latest home improvement project or even the movie she saw on Netflix, so funny, she couldn’t stop laughing. She yanks a blue hydration tube. Bangs cover her eyes, a mask hides her mouth. She is a friendly mole dressed in a smock with pictures of […]
The Turtle Knows the Way
On my trip back from the gym today, I saw a bump not too far from the house and slowed down. It was a turtle. I remembered how this time last year, a mama turtle had visited our back yard and spent a half-day digging up a place in the mud to deposit her eggs. […]
Spring in Louisiana
Violets getting pushy on front lawns. Redbud trees pink against winter’s bare branch. Irises swell in bed, such proud mamas. Butterweed give yellow a new name. Thatches of loblolly surround bald land. Wisteria is lace, the purple rain. Couches of azalea watch the passing game.
Date Night at the Half & Half: Rae-Ann (5)
She looked at the clock. She was expecting him to come through the door at any moment. After all, it was getting close to 7:30 in the morning. Vernon was always on time. Earl had been the same way. But that’s not to say she hadn’t heard a lot of scuttlebutt—over the years people gossiped, […]
Vernon and Rae-Ann (4)
One summer Domino did get covered with fleas and Rae-Ann did just what her auntie had told her. By the time Domino shook herself dry, the dog was clean and ran up to lick Rae-Ann’s hand. Not a single flea. But when Aunt Dee became sick, some kind of nerve damage that attacked her heart […]
Billy Goat Gruff: Rae-Ann (3)
But Eudora wasn’t the only one who shared their private business with Rae-Ann. Maybe it was because there was something in the way she presided over a sea of six-packs and zip-lock bags. Or perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the store was a frequent contributor to the town’s soccer and […]
Rae-Ann, the Trusted One (2)
Every morning after she had switched on the lights and turned up the thermostat of the Half & Half, she thanked Earl for taking such good care of her. He had been a good man; after his funeral, all the store regulars had mailed her condolence cards in tones of silver and violet that she arranged on the fireplace mantle, and for the first few months, touched each one as she walked in circles from the living room to the kitchen.
Shopping Cart
Heads of lettuce are deconstructed into plastic tubs that cost twice as much, if not more than whole heads replaced by escarole, radicchio, and baby spinach leaves. Romaine (cos) and iceberg (crisphead) continue to be available. Even so, the more nutritious outer leaves have been stripped away to reveal pale green. Walmart sells hearts four […]
The 99% in Crossett, Arkansas
When you’re in the belly of the monster You don’t consider if your lipgloss is sticky Or if your hair spray is crunchy Or how Steve Jobs, if he found himself in the same situation, Would’ve connected the dots. Even when distraction and evil influence rule the day, And the EPA is scheduled to show […]