Parables

  Sometime around the age of twelve or thirteen, I entered a stage of awkwardness so extreme that even the act of walking seemed doubtful. What had been automatic, to put one foot in front of another, to maintain a steady rhythm and to appear [...]

  After Stretch took down the two trees, cut them into sections and loaded them onto his pick up truck, he told me he would be back to rake up the debris. But after two days I figured, no big deal, I would rake it myself. On the third day, a [...]

My pool game was off. I had lost three of the last four matches. Anders said, “Do you think it might be the way you’re relating to the material?” ⁠—Adam [...]

  Suzanne said, “I really enjoyed my opening. I decided to believe all the nice things people said to [...]

  Michele said, “You can’t see me right now but I’m rolling my eyes. “     —Adam [...]

    I stared at the man opposite me on the A train. His face was strangely familiar and I realized he was having the same reaction to seeing me. We both got up and took hold of one of the poles in the middle of the car. We ran through the [...]

    Our last ride got us to somewhere on the outskirts of NYC, probably the Bronx. The guy who’d picked us up took us into a diner and ordered himself a coffee. I was shocked when my brother said he’d have the same. We’d always [...]

  I was invited to a party at W. H. Auden’ apartment. Auden wasn’t there. A guy staying there was having the party. At some point the beer ran out and I went to the store with an older guy. We came across an enormous bug, staying [...]

  I like my GP, Dr. Samuelson. I said, I’m getting up twice a night to pee. He said, What if I told you you [...]