Monthly Archives: March 2013

Prologue

Posted on March 29, 2013 by sputterpub

We talk to babies with a curling tongue and rounded lips; we teach them fairy tales, corral them in a chorus when they’re young and try for something every parent fails to get: the power to control their taste. Asserting … Continue reading →

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Monica Says (3 of 3)

Posted on March 28, 2013 by sputterpub

At first she was irritated. Then irked. She tried to modulate her negativity, but Monica grew waspish. Simon responded with anxiety and tripled his efforts to please her. He began guessing at what she desired and conforming his own choices … Continue reading →

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Monica Says (2 of 3)

Posted on March 27, 2013 by sputterpub

She didn’t complain about her loneliness, then or later. Monica knew it would be like bitching about the obligations of wealth; she wasn’t going to get sympathy and she wouldn’t feel admirable. But she noticed. For a few years she … Continue reading →

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Monica Says (1 of 3)

Posted on March 26, 2013 by sputterpub

She realized three months after she married him that she probably shouldn’t have. It started to be obvious to Monica then, how damaged she was after the breakup with Charlie, what a relief it had been to be light-hearted with … Continue reading →

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A Little Muteness

Posted on March 25, 2013 by sputterpub

I lost my voice. I left it on the plane last week or in a hotel meeting room three levels underground. The weekend rain orated hail on windows, thunder’s boom — while I resolved to silence stayed within. I wrapped … Continue reading →

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Lines (An Acrostic)

Posted on March 23, 2013 by sputterpub

As often as I’ve gushed about this place, Lip-synching rapture into metaphor, Like foggy morning breeze against my face, Less startled than refreshed, and begging more, I’ve never caught in words the atmosphere Nor sung the sun in seasonal degrees … Continue reading →

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Bachelor

Posted on March 22, 2013 by sputterpub

I met a gentle man so well enclosed about himself he imitates a bug. By neither laugh nor sneeze is he exposed, nor attitude; he sits a selfish hug. His dentist only sees him open wide – his cats alone … Continue reading →

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Simon Sees (3 of 3)

Posted on March 21, 2013 by sputterpub

Simon’s headaches began when he was 30. At first he’d have one every other month or so. The pain wasn’t disabling but it was annoying, and the condition didn’t respond to any over-the-counter analgesics. He’d wake with a slight headache, … Continue reading →

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Simon Sees (2 of 3)

Posted on March 20, 2013 by sputterpub

They bought the first house a year after their wedding, but they were both working too hard to indulge in new-homeowner projects like refinishing floors and stripping paint off built-ins. They satisfied themselves that the place was more of an … Continue reading →

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Simon Sees (1 of 3)

Posted on March 19, 2013 by sputterpub

If it hadn’t been for his headaches, Simon would never have found Debra, and if he hadn’t met Debra he might have stayed with Monica. He might have pots of money. He might still have headaches. He marvels about it. … Continue reading →

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