Author Archives: sputterpub

Delightful

Posted on August 10, 2016 by sputterpub

We all know we’re going to lose Bertilda soon. Some of us are trying to feel somber or even sad about that. Most of us are not succeeding. The wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, but she’s in the machinery now. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Neighborhood | Leave a comment

Hypochondria

Posted on August 9, 2016 by sputterpub

Exactly how much notice should I give to little bumps that feel like fat or bone? Disdaining waiting rooms is how I’d live, and waiting for a change in shape or tone. The symptom tends to worsen or to shrink … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Health, Poetry | Leave a comment

Being a Tree

Posted on August 8, 2016 by sputterpub

Imagine pulling water from the ground. Importing CO2 the atoms meet, and catalyzed by energy unbound from chlorophyll, the recipe’s complete. The ends are molecules of oxygen and sugar – that’s how evolution’s smart. All foods begin this sweet. All … Continue reading →

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Solo

Posted on August 5, 2016 by sputterpub

I worried I’d be wasted, for this dream recurred so often of an unused room. Reminded nightly to it, I’d redeem it from the day’s oblivion, resume a planned inhabitance, investigate its windowless perimeter, and then – I’d wake to … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Leave a comment

Near Missus

Posted on August 4, 2016 by sputterpub

So here’s the pattern I perceive for me: The boys have found me awesome since my youth. They can’t believe I’m really what they see although they like the vision – that’s the truth. Alas, I’ve learned they share this … Continue reading →

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The Curse of the Parent’s Pet

Posted on August 3, 2016 by sputterpub

Can a good parent have a favorite child? Or does the existence of preference count as a mark of parental failure? Don’t apply the question to mega-families, where the older kids end up rearing all the little ones who come … Continue reading →

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Textbook

Posted on August 2, 2016 by sputterpub

Remember how they taught us history? They made us memorize assorted dates, built propaganda out of mystery, and forced curricula this student hates. But even dumpsites tend to hold some jewels – I learned to learn or else repeat mistakes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, School | Leave a comment

Foiled

Posted on August 1, 2016 by sputterpub

See, you were meant to be an intermission in between our marriages and life. I thought you’d be a friend in the transition; I always knew I wouldn’t be your wife (I don’t excel at living with a man). I … Continue reading →

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Becoming Lilith

Posted on July 29, 2016 by sputterpub

If menstruating women bring bad luck, and childbirth’s a devil-daring deed, if every woman hungers for a fuck and ultimately has no other need, if feminine equipment is impure, unruly both in body and in mind, and women must be … Continue reading →

Posted in Legends, Poetry | 4 Comments

Anatomy

Posted on July 28, 2016 by sputterpub

I recollect the texture of his lips and long to nibble them: to take them in between my own and mumble till one slips away and leaves me room to discipline the other. I adore them as his flesh, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | 3 Comments