said object

It sat once, center table at the cabin, old rifles and canning jars surrounding it, the simmery, summer night air pouring around its sunny disposition. We were weak and sold it to Astrid, the neighbor who wore pumpkin rouge. She had a party one evening, we all stumbled over. The lamp sat glumly on a side table until Astrid spilled some gin on it. A great spark rose from the lamp and bounded across the room, uncle Ross’s hair lit on fire, more gin came out he was doused. It …

The last two corn candles lost in the left, listless row at Lefty’s. I say lost because Karen found them under a musty box of rice pudding. Some housewife had stuffed them there, picked them up on a whim, then decided against them knowing Hank would find them frivolous, “Why you buy them corn thingies?! Buy real food not candles!” So Karen picks them up and thinks she has to get back to the studio and record, “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft” she can’t figure out where that song came …

Duke University, 1952. Bought the radio for the beach trip, it felt good in my hands as I carried it over to Eleanor. She strode by me, a thin wisp of taffeta spilling over her hips, her crepe suit crisp underneath. We were eager to listen to the “Too Old To Cut The Mustard” by Clooney. We got to the beach, turned it on and she started singing and I could of wept because the sound was just plain terrible, my ears felt sliced opened. All her prettiness drained from …

Was it a coincidence or was that Mauve’s fifth grade teacher’s daisy cup on display at Diablos? Throughout the fifth grade, 1965, it sat on her desk, a full cup of Sanka, sitting and getting cold and finally Miss Giff (was that her name?) would take a sip, one lousy sip and the rest of the coffee was laid to waste! It irked Mauve to no end! Well, now she would simply buy this cup and make it a candle and Miss Giff could never drink from it again! Ah …

Geppie, my sister’s boyfriend brought him home one day from the country store. Yes, “him”, we won’t name him, because frankly, every time we name him a disaster occurs. First Gabe named him, “Look there’s Frederick, he’s so quaint!” We rolled our eyes and seconds later pipes burst and the den was flooded. Then Grandma called him “Bip” passing by him in the hall and grandpa fell in the garage while oiling his Edsel. The last straw was the postman who saw him on the landing, “cute doll” he said, …