We didn’t have any potatoes. The rain had fallen in patches that year, pressing its fingertips into rows of beans, fields of corn, the tomato plants and the peppers. The layer of soil over the potatoes stayed dry and pale as we stared and waited; little holes appeared in the dirt where the plants tried to suck the moisture out of the ground. In the evening we threaded fistfuls of beans through our fingers to boil on the stove for… Read more »
Posts By: Claire
Technicalities
As soon as I posted about my current and past stitches, I got messages from my relatives across a variety of media. My cousin commented on Facebook in response to my blog post, “Maybe you should not have dove into the shallow end of the pool…. Just saying” (thanks for the support!) while my mom texted me to say “Did you also have stitches for wisdom teeth…? I’ll never tell” (thanks for the…subterfuge?). I don’t remember much about having my wisdom… Read more »
Perma-
I currently have stitches in my tongue, due to a minor procedure to remove a fibroma from biting the side of my tongue/scar tissue forming (I think of all of the times I’ve bitten my tongue without this happening…and then I think about how counterintuitive it is that cutting my tongue intentionally would not just create more scar tissue–I guess it’s like resetting a broken bone so that it’s done right). The stitches are the dissolvable kind (I’m not totally clear… Read more »
On Generalities and Specialization
There’s a pharmacy in my neighborhood that I would describe as either an old-school drug store or a magical font of whatever I happen to need at a given moment. I’m sure I could tempt things by going there looking for something really outlandish, but to date I’ve gone there–sometimes on the same day–looking for compression tights, an international outlet converter, face oil, a specific and uncommon hair dye, a zebra hat, and a computer case, and have found ALL of them…. Read more »
The Daily–Weekly–Yearly Loop
Sometimes I feel slightly cheated when I tune my harp but then don’t play it before it goes out of tune again. Several points against me here: one, I should have played it after tuning, or at the least the next day when it’s still in reasonable tune; two, it’s good for the harp to tune it every day even if I’m not playing it every day–the more regular the tension of the strings on the wood, the more likely… Read more »
Flash fiction // 01
She was stretched against the castle, one arm shielding her face from the sunlight. Somehow she had managed a relaxed sprawl even though the concrete banks of the empty moat wedged her in. Windows like pinpricks let the light through in threads, wavering across her t-shirt and faded jeans, teasing the outlines of her arms and hands. Above her, the towers cast disproportionate shadows, appearing to loom high and away though they would reach only to her waist if she… Read more »
Mixed bag
A subway story Two middle-aged women on the train: Woman 1, complaining about her husband’s kissing style: “I want all lip! Nothing but lip. Did they get BIGGER in the last seven years? I did not sign up for this. I shouldn’t feel teeth. I don’t want to feel your goddamn teeth!” Woman 2, making best efforts at sympathy: “Well, James is not the best kisser. He’s a sucker.” An exchange Me to young student: “What do you want… Read more »
The Taglines of our Lives
You can make almost any title better by taking a cue from nature TV and bestowing the subtitle “Spy in the Huddle.” (I actually wish they had confined that brilliance to Penguins: Spy in the Huddle rather than extending it to a trope. Spy in the forest! Spy in the nest! Kind of dilutes it.) But I also like to play with the Lifetime Original Movie structure and add “The __________ story.” E.g. Serious Colors: The Claire Dunnington Story. Or Herd Subjectivity: The Internet Story. Or… Read more »
Site Specific.
Every Valentine’s Day–or when I realize it’s coming–I put on Outkast’s “Happy Valentine’s Day,” and every year I find myself wishing for more date specific songs. There’s Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “September,” which narrows down to the particular day (21st) within its lyrics, and there’s “Oh What a Night,” which never actually specifies which night in late December but does get bonus points for naming the year (1963). I’m sure I could find others via Google, but I guess I’m… Read more »
Oddsam and Endsam.
Being a child is confusing, and there were numerous things that confused me as a kid, but only a few that truly baffled me. One was Groundhog’s Day. Okay, if he sees his shadow he gets scared and goes back in the hole, and that means six more weeks of winter? But if he’s seeing his shadow, that means the SUN is out. If he DOESN’T see his shadow that should mean more winter. Also: poinsettias. It was utterly beyond… Read more »
