Stand Off
There are 14 men in the lunchroom. Some are sitting in chairs, some standing,
some prowling around the edges of the room. They are men who have grown
used to being on a schedule, and this is snack time.
Audio
The Most Beautiful Word
Terrible and terrific come from the same root:
terror. Most days I assume difference
means divergence. Most nights my horizontal
body lays down next to my son’s to ensure
he grows up to be a tender-hearted vertical
citizen.
In the Clearing
Image: “Zaubererturm” by Jennifer S. Lange. “In the Clearing” was written by Devon Balwit for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, October 2024, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
The Elders
the color of their hair, then their hair,
their once-smooth gait now upgraded
to gimp.
Indemnity
Mudslides aren’t covered.
Nor jewelry over fifteen-hundred dollars
unless you have a rider.
A live tree taken down by a storm
and falling through your master bedroom?
Covered. But a dead one?