“There you go, speaking harm into being.”
—My mother said that.
__________________________________________________________
She said that when I shrieked over
centipedes having more
centipedes in our bedroom
baseboards. Will I wake
up with …
Liberace had his lovers turn their faces into his own like a man-mirror. What is the opposite of this gesture? Something spiritual for sure. I am constantly reminded that religion is creepy but perhaps our sole hope for kindness. I …
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In 1985, on the way to a bathhouse, Bà’s head
was a gong eclipsing the sun. His ground-loving flip-flops
making a broken ragtime on the street.
Walking past. I was five. I had known
a few dangers. Those hot Bāozi …
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I’m telling you the plain truth you would think
a town with this many poor folks peeling potatoes was unhappy
but getting off the sun bus my mama was waiting there
with the other mamas thick piece of maple at …
Weak follows my jaws, a refusal to want outside of shut; a hinge knowing
the damage of open: to let in or let out. How the humpback whale’s mouth
expands up to 10 feet, yet the throat widens only 15 …
I chose Italian because I was craving pasta. I chose this place in particular—there are at least three new nouveau-Italian restaurants in the neighborhood—because it was the shortest distance from home. It wasn’t until I walked through the door that …
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The first time I saw the armchair, it struck me, how sweetly dumb it looked. As if it lacked experience being a thing with four legs. Why else would it be that low to the ground, its weight distributed so …
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In a small strip center lined with restaurants just off Georgia’s Buford Highway, one stands out. The fragrant scents of turmeric, ginger, galangal, and chilies entrance the hungry. Once inside, golden chairs and red tablecloths, along with Javanese artwork and …
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