The short fiction of j hardy carroll
reno’s dad was only a door away and we couldn’t ever talk so in the silence we did what we could, sometimes whispering and in the morning when he knocked his wife across the room made her fall palms-down against the hissing griddle of newly-burnt potatoes we watched the wall, the window, anywhere but the…
The mule, he takes it, the stick -to him is but part of the hand he will not fight it, nor understand His panniers sag from many stops -a cruel master puts in river rocks what use, a man might ask but not the mule. the reasons are sound, plain for all to see why…
Thursday Poem
Wednesday, July 5th 1944 The kids were out windows shimmied down drainspouts hurled down alleyways since today was the day the circus train rolled into town. No music played – war trains caused delays but no war talk today, boys. No time because look at that we’re late. Late is unlucky and it’s all good…
A measure of knot complexity is the number of minimum crossings that must occur when a knot is viewed as a two-dimensional projection According to calculation (yours, or anyone’s) there are more tangled states than untangled states. Thousands at least, when you shove your headphones into your pocket ready at last to listen It took…
Know your history: Thomas Jefferson invented the modern plow along with the United States A social man, a friend to Freedom. He kept his slaves secreted behind doors designed, by him, to pivot with barely a whisper: empty walnut shelves suddenly filled with wine, sweetmeats, cheeses as though by magic.…
these children I’m defending innocent and beautiful circle us elder so concerned that we see but rarely ask honestly or just do something. better to ask forgiveness than permission. these children guessed and we, so much wiser told them what was true since down we forgot as up we grew.…
This cruise we were promised boxers: vascular and hungry for victory. These boys would stop at nothing, we were told. The prize was a golden belt marked CHAMPION in genuine rhinestones. When we were awakened and had drinks from a tray, shuffled down staircases to the hold, the newly installed boxing ring, we paid attention…
maybe I got older when I saw something. I got older by something I saw all of a sudden and maybe I might be able to get younger too The Daily Post
the window is the window the glass, the same the wall, the same the same old house looks out on the sea, never the same, not for a moment neither the air nor the water. when I close my eyes to look out the window the sea takes everything: my lungs, my hair,…