Author Archives: sputterpub

Remedy (1 of 5)

Posted on June 8, 2015 by sputterpub

“I’ve got to stop eating like this,” Julie vows, as she spoons granola into her well-shaped mouth. “Desserts after dinner and now these…” She uses her other hand to indicate the blueberry muffins on her plate. “Even with all the … Continue reading →

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Prodigy

Posted on June 5, 2015 by sputterpub

She drew a princess and her parents tried to give her due and praise her royally. She crayoned ballerinas – they applied to have their girl instructed classically. She started sketching horses at age 10 and mother signed her up … Continue reading →

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Sour (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on June 4, 2015 by sputterpub

I fell in love in college, and I hoped then it would last forever. Kent was smart, funny, good-looking, and athletic. As we progressed to almost living together we developed a few areas of friction. Of course. I guess I … Continue reading →

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Sour (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on June 3, 2015 by sputterpub

I’m so tired of hearing the usual question about long therapy: if it’s so good, why are you undergoing it forever? That one is about as annoying as the “how-will-those-tattoos-look-as-you-age?” nonsense my niece has to hear. For goodness sakes, psychotherapy … Continue reading →

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Bad Phone

Posted on June 2, 2015 by sputterpub

Shall I indulge in courtroom fantasy? Shall I imagine Brutus at the bar, compelled to learn from law’s authority how petty-criminal his tantrums are? Or shall I calm myself and settle back, and add this to the worries I collect? … Continue reading →

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Wet Fur

Posted on June 1, 2015 by sputterpub

I bathed a kitten in the bathroom sink, released the drain and watched the water flow – along with kitten legs. I didn’t think that hole would pose a threat. I didn’t know what else to do – I pulled … Continue reading →

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Blindfold

Posted on May 29, 2015 by sputterpub

The sprouting grass is soft beneath my feet, receptive, squeaky-vivid, bending, bright. And gentle is the asphalt of the street I walk across, ignoring every sight. The air is like a washcloth on my brow, my cheeks, my throat: that … Continue reading →

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Sweet (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on May 28, 2015 by sputterpub

The cascade of their insistence and my defiance only got worse over the next 10 years. She pummeled me with epithets like lazy, and he restricted my choices owing to what he saw as my lack of commitment and common … Continue reading →

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Sweet (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on May 27, 2015 by sputterpub

Sweet? Sweet? I’ll be damned if I’ll be sweet. That’s all my parents wanted of me, as early as I can remember. So it’s the last thing I’ll give them. For the longest time I found no fault with them. … Continue reading →

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El Niño 1998

Posted on May 26, 2015 by sputterpub

Benign the weather god has been to me who sent the humid infant to demand no tribute dearer than a twisted knee. It lets my rotten-floored garage withstand the cataracts of Codornices Creek and daily squalls don’t penetrate my panes. … Continue reading →

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