“I Wrote My Phone Number on a Telephone Pole,” “Raining Since Yesterday Afternoon and it’s Still Raining,” “Father,” and Other Poems
translated by Xi Nan I often say that poetry is a kind of reality. This reality crosses the line between dream and daily life. Some of the following…
Meth and Honey Jar
She says she is gonna kill herself after I take a phone call with a writer friend, so I go into the bathroom and lock the door. I stand there and…
Don’t Make the World Worse
“Don’t make the world worse” was Iggy’s mantra. He thought this while overlooking the point where the Santa Ana River feeds into the ocean. He…
Ensnared, Part 2
After 20 minutes of looking at the videos that consumed Frank Lecher’s soul and free time, Stacy figured that Frank Lecher was either an idiot or an…
Ensnared, Part 1
Stacy and her parents had come to an understanding. In order to avoid bloodshed, a socially distanced vacation would be a really good idea. Summer…
Charlie
Charlie’s career hit the skids. One day, he was 28 years old, playing the teenaged older brother to a Miley Cyrus-type on a hit Disney Channel tween…
Lina
“Shit.” I’m late again. This is my third date in a row with Lina that I’ll have shown up late to. I showed up 15 minutes early the first time we met;…
