BLOOD

An image of Megan Fox from Jennifer's Body projected on a white curtain, with flames across the bottom of the screen and "come home, steamy love" in yellow text across the bottom.

Fiery Swallowed Rage

I’m laying down in a fetal position, knocked out by pain. Saliva drips from my mouth and I’m on the verge of passing out. I’ve taken a mix of random painkillers and they’re finally hitting. The pain stops; I have a mini orgasm.

A diptych of two images of plants coming through concrete. On the left side, a purple pansy comes up through a crack in a cement sidewalk, pictured from the side, with the sidewalk edge at a diagonal across the screen with street asphalt visible in front. On the right, A small treelike plant comes up through a hole in a concrete sidewalk, next to a metal grille gate surrounding an enclosed area and some garbage cans. The edge of the sidewalk and the edge of the gate from the first and second images meet at a point in the middle of the composition.

Normality

During the Corona time, I have been hearing the word “Normalität” almost daily in the news: the eagerness to return to “normality.” The following poem is a small glimpse of my normality.

Beginning, Middle (Age), End: script notes and revisions

A large Melbourne downtown strip club. 3am. Thursday. The year is 2005. 90’s r’n’b plays. Lights change rhythmically. A woman is at work.

A line drawing. A woman stands beside a well, her right hand slightly extended as she throws powder into the opening of the well. The other hand holds a small cup. A banderole, a type of medieval speech banner, reads “Make them all sick.” She is wearing a wide brimmed hat, tunic, cloak, and gloves.

Make Them All Sick: The Leper Plot of 1321

Greetings and God’s blessing upon you my dear husband, Monsieur d’Allee, on this, the 2nd day of June, the year of our Lord 1321.

I deliver bad news, of which, I am sure you are already aware.

Acedia: A Dustiness of the Heart

It’s the fourth century A.D. You’re a monk in the Egyptian desert, and you live in a hut not far from other monks. Every day you get up at dawn to pray, and you spend most of the rest of your day either praying or weaving baskets.

A slightly desaturated close-up image of a rocky outcropping with many candles in reds, pastels, and whites, some textured and some not. Some of the the candles are burnt and wax has spread. Behind them, a small circular mirror in an ornate brass frame is visible, and small flat stones are arranged around the candles. A bone resembling a human femur is visible on the left side of the frame on a ceremonial plate, and natural green foliage is visible in the background.

Excerpts from Plague’s Embrace

She was shivering like a baby unwrapped in the wind, adrenaline and espresso in her sweat. I wasn’t allowed fear until later — one price of her devotion.

Sharing and Saving in Times of Crisis

This is a choose-your-own-adventure and how-to guide on sharing and saving money. It is intended to help you figure out whether you can afford to share money, and to encourage you to save money.

A vertical oval black shape on a white background. Inside the solid black oval, a red orange shape similar to a rock formation or brushstroke disappears into a stylized zig zag pattern that looks like reflections of light on water. At the top of the shape, the black outline of a person wearing a cowboy hat is visible. The black oval has feathered edges.

A Cowboy Walks Into a Bar

A cowboy walks into a bar. The bar is closed indefinitely. A cowboy stays home where they’re losing the feeling of having a body that is a body in…

A black line drawing on a white background by Andres Aragoneses, featuring the silhouettes of two heads, facing one another closely. The silhouette in the foreground is decorated with wavy lines, positioned with its mouth close to the ear of the silhouette in the background, which is decorated with dots around where the voice of the front head might be whispering or breathing.

What’s always among us: A letter to the dance floor

“Let’s face it. We’re undone by each other. And if we’re not, we’re missing something. This seems so clearly the case with grief, but it can be so only because…

A 15th century depiction of Ivar and his brother Ubba sailing to England. Ivar and Ubba stand in the front of the ship each wearing armor, a weapon resembling a spear and a crown. They are surrounded by multiple people also wearing armor and holding up weapons. The waves and clouds that surround the ship indicate a stormy sea.

Ivar’s Sea

The feeling of mud on Ivar’s feet was one of his favorites. When he was still a small child, the most thrilling sensation was the touch of water and earth on his thin skin.