From the category archives:

Death

Aunt Cordelia at Waffle House

May 17, 2012

Before she was struck and killed out on Farm to Market 1438, Aunt Cordelia walked every night the three miles to Waffle House. This was a couple of years after they let her out of Terrell. She never had any money, but the Waffle House people would give her coffee. “You want a cup of [...]

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Last Night I Dreamt…

May 8, 2012

of a remake of Top Gun. Like I do every night. This time, Mav and Goose were drone pilots. Sitting in their cubicles, Maverick flying the RC aircraft according to his own devil-may-care rules. The guy in charge said, “that’s a half-a-million dollar model plane with some very sophisticated weapons and guidance systems you’re piloting. [...]

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My Brother Whispering to me at my Grandmother’s Funeral

February 16, 2012

She looks good. Real natural. Those funeral home people did a real good job. She never treated me any different. I loved that about her. And she could cook. You remember that skillet she had? That cast iron skillet? I remember one time she made me mincemeat fried pies in that skillet. You remember that? [...]

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Driving With No Headlights

January 26, 2012

The crushed whiterock in moonlight–at least, when the moon was full–it gave off enough glow to see by without headlights. We would drink too much and drive too fast and try to prove ourselves wrong concerning our invulnerability–our untouchability–although by then a few of us had already provided examples of what happens at the place [...]

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(Not, Not) Knocking on Heaven’s Door

January 21, 2012

Do you know how much I’m going to miss you? I’m going to miss you so bad. But don’t hang on just for me. I want you to be free. If you’re seeing the light, go towards it. Fly towards heaven on the angel’s wings. Squeeze my hand twice if you can hear me and [...]

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My Grandfather’s Deathbed Confession (An Unedited Transcript)

December 20, 2011

Rainy boots and my last two fishing lures? Haversack. Wigwam. Jump-start the hide-a-bed. Jersey Shore my Alice Munro Wall clock. Hasselhoff in Dusseldorf. Black smoke sunshine. Ain’t no beauty pageant for groundhogs, gophers, or rain gauges. Pray for me Mary Kate. No habla Malt-o-Meal in Caracas. Dowsing El Camino. Don’t shak-o my Baco’s, and never [...]

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Death of a Barbershop Quartet

December 17, 2011

The death of one means the death of all, because there’s no such thing as a barbershop trio.

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Thornton Wilder Breaks His Silence on Our Town

November 22, 2011

Am I proud of Our Town? I am, from the standpoint of successfully capturing the transitory nature of existence. Grover’s Corner is the world. Every waking moment you don’t spend in sweet reverie for the life that is, with full knowledge of the unending bleakness that is to come, well, that’s time not fully lived. [...]

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BizTel Corp #43

September 29, 2011

I don’t know. What do you think? I think we’re already about two weeks late on this project, and it doesn’t really matter, soo… I just feel like the red font… in bold, it feels like it’s yelling at me, and in plain text, it just kind of blends in. I sometimes get the feeling [...]

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Avoiding Explaining Death to Your Five-Year Old

September 24, 2011

Daddy, look. A dead squirrel. That squirrel’s not dead. He’s not? No. Then why is he laying in the road like that? He’s taking a nap. On the road. Because it’s warm. That’s why I tell you not to play in the street. Why? Because the street is so warm. It soaks up the sun’s [...]

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My New Friend Fitz

September 19, 2011

Fitz always screams at seagulls when we’re walking on the boulevard. Sandyson Boulevard. He says they can’t probably hear him but he likes to do it anyway. I like how he says it as though he’s unsure, like they might be able to hear him. Fitz and me are pretty different but we’re both okay [...]

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The Flenser’s Lament

August 20, 2011

I started flensing because I thought it was something I could do in the days, something that wouldn’t take up a whole lot of mental space when I was off the clock, which would ensure I had plenty of time to work on my art. My art was going to be my ticket out of [...]

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