This was in 1977 when I was in nursing school, eighteen years old. The whole class was outside sitting in the colored leaves under a deep blue sky. The teacher was lecturing about oxygen. I wasn’t writing anything down. I first followed the path of a shiny jet above. Then, I secretly watched Sandy Devon.…

“Rage, rage against the dying of the light!” I said this to Sean, my beautiful ten-year-old with the unstoppable brain tumor. He laughed and punched my arm. This tumor, for some reason, made him constantly happy. He brought whoopee cushions to chemo. Everyone loved him, said he was so brave, that he’d win the fight,…

“I’m spending New Year’s Eve with a girl from the bible school.” My buddies stared at me, shaking their heads. Behind them, here in Ray’s apartment, stood the gleaming keg, the bongs lined up on the window sills like trophies. There was a high stained-glass window. They yanked me to stand in the colored rays…

The mail lady stopped me on the street, pointing to the house kitty-corner from mine. Had I seen those people? She couldn’t fit any more mail into the box. “Come to think of it,” I said, “I can’t remember the last time.” I would say they were a professional couple, lean gray suits coming and…

His RV is half on the lawn. Who does he think he is? He’s my brother, of course. Birdman. He has a shit-load of birds strapped to the top of his vehicle. A big wooden box with air holes. He uses these birds in his magic act. He travels between Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, and…