GODSPELL
by Kate Maruyama
[audio:http://www.hootreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Godspell.mp3|titles=Godspell]

The night they crucified Vinnie Masselli on that chain link fence, his apostles writhing in
despair, I couldn’t stop crying for like, hours. He was in such pain, from the whipping
and the barbed wire and all, and his makeup was running with sweat. He rolled his
gorgeous brown eyes heavenward, the colored lights flashed and he died to the chilling
tones of a fading synthesizer.

I suppose everybody’s a sucker for Jesus.

That night Donna asked, “Honey, something wrong? Something I should know about?” I
think she secretly hoped I was pregnant.

She went on the Internet to look up my symptoms. “Have you been hearing voices? Do
you have blackouts where you don’t remember what happened?”

If she couldn’t make me pregnant, she could will schizophrenia on me.

I didn’t stop crying. It made me feel closer to Vinnie. Or to Jesus. I didn’t know which.

 

 

EXPOSED
by Abigail Zimmer
[audio:http://www.hootreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Exposed.mp3|titles=Exposed]

Like salt water, I am unfit
………..to be drunk.
Like a gutted deer, my lungs
………..fell out among the leaves.

 

 

TWICE
by Alyssa Gillon
[audio:http://www.hootreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Twice.mp3|titles=Twice]

My interests include lying about myself
and the good luck of ladybugs.
I force one onto my finger, and she falls instead of flying.

I continue to worry and take a walk in the cold.

I am thankful for the honeysuckles I find,
the half-mowed lawns of duplexes,
and trashcans in unlikely places.

Two girls are talking, and one has such shiny hair that I’m afraid of losing it.
“You both have beautiful hair,” I say, and devise
a way to get back home without passing them twice.

 

 

—

Kate Maruyama’s work is in Arcadia Magazine and Controlled Burn among others. Her novel, Harrowgate is upcoming from 47North. With Diane Sherlock, she founded Annotationnation.com, a site that looks at fiction in terms of craft.

Abigail Zimmer works in nonprofit communications. She likes deciphering Old English, futzing with her camera, and blogging on art and good people at www.offthefrontporch.wordpress.com.

Alyssa Gillon enjoys exploring creatively through many mediums, though writing is her bread & butter.