Katabasis

The place smelled like rust, from pipes overhead. It was hell when you got that scent up your nose, when the smell settled in your mouth. There were no locks on the door, so anyone could enter, all. Old paper boxes, clumped newspaper grew mildew and something else, something noisome that clung to our hair … Continue reading Katabasis

Goddess of Open Mouths

"I dig because I am hungry" – Margaret Atwood, from Digging (Selected Poems, 1965 – 1975) I was nineteen when I first saw the ocean. My fingers locked with my lover’s that night, and the wet grate of sand on my feet was a new satisfaction. She was nervous. I held her hand, felt her thumb rub … Continue reading Goddess of Open Mouths

Seining

“My mother is a fish.” -William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying I seined the Luxapalila for bait with my father each May. We netted frantic, silver minnows and scooped them into buckets by the dozens. I liked to stick my hands into the mass of life. I liked to feel the cool, slick jump of … Continue reading Seining