Chests swell thinking of what it means to be patriotic. Shoulders shake nowadays moving to cover a heart, and begin the recitation. Hat in hand, eyes on the red, white and blue wondering when recognition will strike— the perfect

No one notices when my two eyebrows try to reconsolidate their relationship —not even my wife, who often massages the blackheads from my nose. But still, I dab the dark patch with shaving cream and wonder when I first

My friend has cut himself again for Christmas and I recall his stories of a knife locking into the bones of his knuckle. I’ve only been cut badly once and I am fascinated by the severing of things— The