monday song #53: close-up

lyrics william holden is face down in the swimming pool. the police arrive followed by the press. flashbulbs pop. questions go unanswered. gloria swanson creeps down the stairs. an elderly spider, patient, arms held at unnatural angles, ready to dance or cast a spell. her head tilts off center; her once lovely face pulled tight by […]

monday song #50: love song

 lyrics mr. luchesi starts from a shallow sleep. the alarm clock says 3:34 am. that makes two-and-a-half hours sleep he’s managed since crawling into bed at 9:30, out of ideas, resenting his wife for making him put the kids to bed a third night in a row. she sleeps soundly beside him. she must […]

monday song #49: crucifixion is easy

 lyrics sally mccarthy bathes her daughter in a shallow tub on the kitchen table. the baby fusses but stops short of crying. as she sponges her tiny hands, sally marvels at the soft palms, just starting to prune. and her uncle carter’s voice speaks up in her memory. “i don’t see what all the […]

monday song #47: still life

lyrics staring at the floor. frozen. scuffed wood once elegant, now dulled by years of water spraying from the kitchen sink. it’s the eighth floor at liberty lane. frozen. looking down. familiar. elliott came from a family that spent their lives propping up the walls, keeping the ceiling in place. his father drinking and laughing […]