Howie Good - Three Pieces

1. How to Prepare for Heartbreak
Summoning up
a kind of rage,
stubbornly walk,
or even crawl,
across a frozen sea
and then pass
through a hole in a fence,
on the other side
of which it’s dusk,
and maybe always is,
no people anywhere,
just stubble fields
and a black dog
with a red tongue.

***
2. Factory
This isn’t the best place to work. The roof is burning. We might as well be mannequins for all the concern we’re allowed to display. It’s like a test of some sort. Smoke begins to seep into the building, and my eyes tear up. The temp worker standing opposite me on the assembly line chews on the middle links of her thin gold necklace, a nervous habit that under other conditions would be endearing but now just irritates me. We work in silence, heads bent forward, hands moving as if diabolically programmed to perform brutal stabbing gestures over and over.

***
3. OMG
The police had dogs. They even had helicopters. They tried to kill a child to shut her up. I searched among the dead and injured and couldn’t find her. A crow in a tree made a noise like “Ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha!” as if finding the circumstances amusing. I responded, “No, no, no!” Everyone thought I was crazy. They failed to notice those didn’t resemble normal clouds up there, but angels tracking in blood on their sneakers.

Yrik Max Valentonis - Autobiography

She tried to write her autobiography. But could only write the word “the”. This fustrated her a great deal since she knew that she had lived more than just that. For years she thought about what she had done with her life and the people that she had met and influenced. Continually she worked on her autobiography.

The the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the e the the the the the the the the the the the the the

She eventually consulted a novelist whom was mentioned by a mutual friend. The novelist was well known and respected, even though she had never read any of his books. They sat and discussed writing and literature, the topic of her autobiography was brought up and the difficulties she was having with the word the.  He informed her that he too was having word problems, and feeling limited by his previous books since all he could write was the word “it”.

It it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it it

Together they visited the novelist’s editor at the publishing house. In discussion with the editor, it was found out that she could only cross out the word “which”. Since neither book had the word which in it, but only the and it, the editor offered them little relief.

Which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which which

The autobiographer and the novelist in the spirit of camaraderie and the liking for each other that they had developed, went to an artist’s reception at the local gallery. While there, they spoke with the artist about his work and future projects. The artist talked vibrantly about the arrow. When they asked if he did anything aside from arrows, he glared at them peevishly and excused himself from their company.

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

àààààààààààààààààààààààà

They encountered a poet there, also attending the artist’s reception. The poet spoke with them about the limitations of writing and the difficulties in communication. The poet admitted once having tried to find a broader vocabulary, but in the end returned to contemplate and appreciate the beauty of  “whence”.

Whence whence

whence whence whence whence

whence whence whence whence

whence whence whence whence whence whence

whence whence whence whence whence whence

whence whence whence whence

whence whence whence whence

whence whence

                               whence whence

whence whence

whence

There is a reader who is reading this story and she can only read the word “she”. I wrote this story for her, but I can only write “that” so we are left with an incomplete story where no one is fulfilled by it.

Lawrence Upton - An impression of artificiality

An impression of artificiality

the sky from Bangor, Gwynedd

An impression of artificiality

as if drawn curtains were suspended, but

ineptly. Maybe some hooks have failed since.

A skull of fabric from torn radiance

behind blinding emptiness, full of itself,

leaving the broad meander sinuous

going nowhere       crack-clacker of lightning

no sound       no sound       announcing       its great distance

when it does bang                   metal sonority

discarding       lidded light flare      disturbing

claims our getting closer river of depth

a road from a distant part carelessly

scrambling towards the same forms of backed force

darkness; and, also, worse;

Mark Young - from 690 words,

#4

for

of

all,

; indeed, it

an i have to

In order

for

.

. are not

acceptable

to.

Expect is

to fix is 

will focus on

the closest

part of that

Followed by roughly

seventy years of

Water?

 ***

#5

does not

lately

& is to the

movie

heat-related

enjoy performing

have combined these two trends by experimenting with

large amounts of capital

begun to drift.

children best option here

rows when qualities use time plan

use of the hands especially

Dump status to console pref

customize how cube users can interact

have antiquated some

(the group's performance of multiple tasks simultaneously)

the best damn thing free

 *** 

#6

give not just a

passing phase

To view

to influence user behavior

citizenship behavior,

it was just the opposite.

you'll know that the king is

in the corners &

I have lost my grip

"low class new money"

so that

. & they're

specializing in ....

things aligned

was

the configural

has been deferred.

would result in errors

a little Turkish

might suit

of, is,

&

intent

on

...

every new experience