An elementary school art room smells like mud. Fidgeting first graders wear hand-me-down clothes protected by paint spattered aprons. They make faces at each other. They trace invisible shapes on thick wooden tables with their pudgy index fingers. They flick crumbs of dried clay onto the dusty concrete floor and whisper about the new project as their teacher marks the final accent on a partially recognizable word. White letters on a green chalkboard. Papier-mâché. A smiling twenty-something with bright eyes, her exuberance for the children is matched only by her love for expression. Everyday is a new chance for exploration. She can see the possibility in each of them. Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for the ‘Fiction’ Category
How I die, part 1
In Fiction on May 12, 2011 at 5:38 PMWith rolled up sleeves and the taste of coffee still on my tongue, I stand between rows of parked cars and meters with a handful of quarters, my eyes fixed on the black peppercorn floating high above me in the cloudless blue sky. My breath steams into the air and I shiver as a puff of charcoal smoke jets out from the helicopter. It shudders and spins out of control. My feet root themselves to the ground as the obsidian capsule jolts across the royal canvas leaving a trail of soot behind it. Read the rest of this entry »
