I felt powerless…and chickened out at what was supposed to be my defining moment. Instead, I was a coward who backed away five minutes into grasping destiny with a finger on the trigger. Methodically, I stripped the rifle with disgust, placing the parts neatly into the gym bag. I slung it over my shoulder and crossed the abandoned warehouse floor, taking the stairs in lieu … Continue reading A Sudden Change of Plans by Mike Lee
At 10:30, the receptionist at the front desk gave off the look of a mortician, heightened by her jet-black hair with the white streak in the bangs that evoked a mid-90s memory of one of the band members in Luscious Jackson. As well as what I realized decades ago: punk is not a uniform. Instead, it was a way of thinking—an attitude. The latter came … Continue reading The Princess of Morticians by Mike Lee
While trying to go to sleep, her mind howled like night-wolves in the mountains above a Balkan city. They howled because of that tale about the former girlfriend who was a practicing witch. This was not what she had wanted to hear earlier that evening. Listening to stories about current partners’ exes was always awkward; a relationship starts at day zero. It is uncomfortable to … Continue reading Greater, Sooner Tohubohu by Mike Lee
