Peace & Justice
Small Town
Everywhere’s a small town, she said, if you do something that bothers enough people.
Sin Box
Three stories: Variations on a sin theme 1.) I see stuff like this a lot in my dreams, so I decided it should at least be doing something useful while I figure out what it means. 2.) I’ve tried to keep my sins organized over the years. That way I can correct it quickly if I find I’m missing out on something good. 3.) This box could probably put a curse on someone who believed in that stuff, like a burglar maybe. Personally, I don’t believe in curses, but I don’t think I’d take anything from a box that looked like this either just to be safe.
Simple Life
I was going to live simply & give away all my money to the poor, she said, until I figured out then I’d be poor, so the simple thing was just to keep it. I like it when things make sense like that, she added.
Silly in Public
I figured out that if I keep it up, someday I’ll probably get wise enough to be silly in public but I probably won’t wait that long.
Side by Side
We sat side by side in the morning light & looked out at the future together.
Secret Notes
He wrote secret notes to people he hadn’t met yet. Some of them aren’t even born, he said, but we live in a strange neighborhood & they will need help figuring things out & I won’t always be around to explain it to them.
Secret Potion
this is a secret potion that makes you see the world differently & she’s found it safest to use only on the weekends
Self-Conscious
He is self-conscious because everyone knows he has wings but they’ve never seen him fly. Now & then there will be a feather in odd places or maybe a footprint to show he was there. All in all, he thinks it’s nobody else’s business what he does with his free time.
Secret Heart
The secret is not in your hand or your eye or your voice, my aunt told me once. The secret is in your heart. Of course, she said, knowing that doesn’t make it any easier.
Right Answer
What would it take for world peace? I said. Is there a right answer? he said. No, I said. Oh good, he said. I thought this was going to be one of your love-your-little-brother talks.
Regular Life
Of course I want to save the world, she said, but I was hoping to do it from the comfort of my regular life.
Real Hero (masc)
Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me, but try waking up every morning & loving the world all over again. That’s what takes a real hero.
Real Limit
How many people can you love before it’s too much? she said & I said I didn’t think there was any real limit as long as you didn’t care if they loved you back.
Real News
One morning she decided to throw away the paper & listen to the real news & by the end of the day, she knew that while people were sometimes confused, the rest of the world was not & she slept that night for the first time since she was a young girl.
Real Reason
There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other’s cooking & say it was good.
Real Dream
This holds a promise to all the children of the world, which is how you can tell it’s a real dream of America & not one of those dreams of fear & death that glitter so brightly on tv.
Peace Cactus
this is a cactus that thinks there’s enough violence in the world already so it’s taking correspondence courses in being a cabbage
One of Us
Someday, the light will shine like a sun through my skin & they will say, What have you done with your life? & though there are many moments I think I will remember, in the end, I will be proud to say, I was one of us.
Oddity
I don’t read the paper & I don’t watch tv & people ask me how I stay up with what’s going on & I tell them breathing seems to help & since I haven’t done serious damage to anyone yet, they usually leave me alone.
No Danger
Has made peace with this monster
so there’s no danger unless you
wear a perfume that smells like raw meat.