Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: writing prompt
Cobwebs
The cobwebs in the basement are thick and clammy. They hang like wet strings from water pipes and electrical wires running along the papered ceiling where, along the edges, you can see the 100-year-old 2 x 4s that are the bones of our house.… Continue Reading “Cobwebs”
Rings
[I’m taking an online flash nonfiction class. First assignment this week: 10 minutes on the prompt: The telephone rang.] The telephone rang but I didn’t answer it. I thought I knew who was calling but figured I’d only know if the phone rang again.… Continue Reading “Rings”
Road Trip
If we went across the country, we could put the dogs in the truck and they could look at cars passing by and be themselves in the beautiful wind, leap out for deserts and mountains, and chase what they can’t ever catch.
Minnie and BowWow Talk on the Back Porch
BowWow: It pisses me off when she finally comes home and then it’s all like hurry up and run outside and pee. Minnie: You let stuff bother you. It’s okay what she does. She feeds us afterward so who cares? BowWow: You’d do better… Continue Reading “Minnie and BowWow Talk on the Back Porch”
Married Sleep
When you are afraid of the day, the alarm goes off in your head minutes before the real one sounds. Your eyes open and you watch the seconds pass, piling fear on your dread. You remember all the other times your day included a… Continue Reading “Married Sleep”
Artifact
The wagon was so small, my mother assembled it on the kitchen table, holding the bolts in her mouth like stubby cigarettes, she built it to last but it’s gone, buried in the attic with the torn stuffed bear he called Billy.
Not My Question to Answer
“Are they really brother and sister?” I don’t know. What does that question even mean? What do you mean by that question? Do you mean: Are they biologically brother and sister? Do you mean: Do they regard themselves as brother and sister? What is… Continue Reading “Not My Question to Answer”
Done with U-Turns
If you look in the rear view mirror too long while you’re driving down the highway, you’ll end up in the ditch. I know that but it doesn’t change anything. I won’t be five minutes out of a meeting before I’m putting into rank… Continue Reading “Done with U-Turns”
Dare You: NaBloPoMo
For a long time after being in labor and having a baby, you think you can do anything. You think anything anyone asks you to do will be effortless by comparison. You could be asked to lay a thousand bricks using concrete you stir… Continue Reading “Dare You: NaBloPoMo”
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect.
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect May 27, 2020
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
