One of the more unfortunate things I inherited from my ex was the desire for homeownership. In the early heady weeks of the relationship, as we stayed up all night in inexhaustible confession, he described at length his yearning for a home after he had split from his family, how he had traveled far and wide to find the house of his dreams, how much personal charm it had taken to nail the negotiation. What was more, it was set in a prime location in an up-and-coming city that would guarantee a …
Dad’s beat-up white Renault sat at the far end of our little cul-de-sac, one front wheel up on the pavement and the rear end stuck out miles from the curb. Back from work early meant he’d already have a glass of whiskey in one hand, remote control in the other, staring at some quiz show on the telly. Instead, I found him in the lounge—perhaps already two-sheets to the wind—on his hands and knees, pulling irritably at a knot of flashing Christmas tree lights Mum had bought in the sales last …
Mulberries grow in deep pockets of my memories. The sepals turned fleshy and purple, tight as brains. As children, my brother and I made clubhouses in the mulberry shrubs on the campus where our father taught. Curtained and cool in the heat of the quad. My brother, who never made it out of childhood, believed the shrubs were time machines, taking us back to a time before sidewalks and cut lawns and flagpoles, before mail in the post office box and paninis at the campus cafe. He’d push the …
My car is parked but when I pass the sign that says ‘Slow Down’ and shows a picture of children playing I obey instantly, naturally, all too ready to put the pace back. I keep watch for cracks in the sidewalk, the wrinkles that indicate an aging path, tiny fault lines of friction that might help these heels rediscover their talent for dragging. Shane Schick has poems appearing or forthcoming in LEON Literary Review, The Lake and South Flordia Poetry Journal, among others. He lives with …
To celebrate the release of Issue 6 and our Blurred Genre contest winners, we are hosting a reading over Zoom on May 10 at 6:30 pm PST. *** See full details below and RSVP at this link! …
Read the flash pieces at the links below: 1st Place: The Pasture by Enchi 2nd Place: Neo–Jerusalem by Chinedu Gospel 3rd Place: The Balloon Game by C. J. Anderson-Wu Finalists: Pretending by Chris Clemens and Girlfriend as DiVine, from Disney World by Brady Alexander Honorable Mention: "Crooked Love" by Anastasia Jill"An Absurdist's Lament" by J. J. Steinfeld"Sitting on the Grass After the Last Spring Exam in Golden Valley, Minnesota" by Emily Brisse"Tethered" by Amy …