“Mother held the dark paste as Daddy pried my jaws open. I thought I would die from that green fire and I guess I did in a way. The smell of violet candy in Daddy’s pocket, it’s funny what you remember. My research suggests the betony root tincture interacted with the salat leaf I’d ingested, but more on that later.

“The next thing I remember clearly is the gentle rocking of our stateroom. Mothe...

A gray fluttering

She knew it would be there when she died

She knew if she believed

And did all the right things

The angel sitting on shoulder

Would gather her into its arms

Toes to top, her aches melted into the pavement

Comfort wafted up from her marrow

Memories shuffled past blind

And the persistent cooing blessedly

Never touched her soul...

Squished between a plump banshee and a raccoon eating a literal garbage sandwich, Larkspur resigned herself to another long day at the Golden Ring DMV. For comfort, she buried her nose in her cloak. Larkspur drew in a deep breath of brimstone. This morning’s flying lesson with Scarlet had been perfect. K turns, reversing, even parallel docking, Larkspur hadn’t made a single slip up. Today would be...

Reaching up for Pride and Prejudice, Apple plunged into a pocket universe. Again. When she returned to her home dimension, the library floor was rushing up to meet her face. Hitting with a clunk, Apple lay still. Some families had red hair or could wriggle their ears. The Carters were the fainting goats of humanity, they phased through dimensions. Sometimes Apple was a singularity; those felt like...

Montgomery had 37 reasons to kill his twin, but Brett’s laughter after reading his novel tipped him over the edge. Fist clenched, he pasted on a smile before Brett looked up.

“Nice try, Monty, but plot twists are more my thing.”

Despite being firstborn by nine whole minutes, Montgomery always came second. If Montgomery liked a girl, she always fell in love with Brett. When he showed an interest...

Hip hits table

Pen a souvenir of my bank

Prone to leaking

Coffee stained cup

white with happy green leaves

Handle perfect fit for my fingers

Wedgewood blue pu leather covered calendar

Half-filled with to do lists, good intentions, and

Days and days of doodles in long languid strokes of all the places I’d rather be than here

Crash down...

“Gosh, we have to stop getting blood on these hardwood floors,” Frankie said on her hands and knees.

Dressed in a funereal shroud, Gigi trailed through the red-dyed corn syrup. Frankie wiped at the dark drops. Gigi sat at her laptop reviewing the footage. Her closeups filled the tiny screen. Frankie hefted the prop box on one hip.

“I mean—I have to be more careful. I mean your parents’ have su...

“Now turn to the left, hip out,” Haley said.

“Query: how many degrees which quadrant verso—“

“Stop Lem stop. You’re missing the point. You’re learning how to pass as a human girl. Remember what we talked about. You have to be confident but not pushy. Attractive, independent, and friendly. You need to do makeup and clothes that compliment your figure….”

Haley’s voice trailed off. The dressing ...

It started with a skeleton. Not a complete skeleton, shiny white, like in a HalloweenPlus store, no a shovelful of brown bones uncovered when they were putting in the new Walgreens. Carlos thought it was a dog until the round skull rolled out.

On tv, everything happens between commercial breaks. Real life is much much slower with less flashing light. After a few newspaper articles, those brown b...

Your mind is a garden,

your thoughts are the seeds

You can grow flowers, or you can grow weeds

These words in white on

AI sunflowers, gold on royal blue

What the hell it that supposed to mean

Hard waiting room chair angry

Skintight sadness on my back

My mind is a slaughterhouse not a garden

Everywhere I go I feel the weight of eyes

My thoughts swarm like yellowjackets

Therapy is a waste of t...