Ghost Parachute

No one knows she is bleeding. She strides across the field in a cloak and jodhpurs, her tan riding boots soaked in mud and horseshit. Her chest is bare and free in the gap between the metal clasp at her throat and the high, crisp hemline of the jodhpurs, with their fitted ankles and buttons […]

That’s what the sign says. When asked, Karol confirms, “Yes, anything. Read the sign, dipshit.” I normally wash my veggies at home, but these greens need professional help. The kale is dirty and limp, the broccoli is buggy. I load the nearest machine and add off-brand detergent. I set the gigantic dial to fruits/vegetables and […]

You shake your mane loose from your satin scrunchie, press your perfect chin to the receiver and purr.  What are you waiting for? Call NOW.  Soft cable light soaks the family room. I squirm in my sleeping bag while the other girls dream. Girls who shave their knees clean and sweat powdery desire. Girls who […]

You wake me by pushing my head off your chest. It’s too hot, you say, can you sleep in the other room? Your curtains are so thick that it’s impossible to know if the sun’s up or not. Then you turn away from me. I check my phone, it’s too damn early, and I go […]

Monday Today she put me on her head and showed me to her married friend. “Do I look more cheerful this way?” she said. “You look like that old blondie actress who died kind of young,” he said. “Angie Dickinson?” He laughed. “Yes, that’s the one.” Tuesday She wore me to the grocery store. She […]

The loneliness you feel after your husband dies grows into something dark and uncomfortable. So you make a point to step outside each morning with your coffee cup and watch the street come alive with busy neighbors. In this story inside your head, you take afternoon strolls and stop to chat with friends, bragging about […]