i first heard her tiny voice, then turned to see who was speaking. a little girl and her mom, looking at pochako pencils & erasers. “i used to have one of those,” said the girl, who wasn’t more than 5. “when?” asked her mom. “a long time ago,” she replied, “when i was 3.” –sanrio […]

a little boy standing on the edge of a brick wall in his front yard. he knelt down to look at something — bugs, perhaps? black hair & slanted eyes & fair skin. he was wearing a white t-shirt and baggy denim shorts. he couldn’t have been more than 7. i imagined myself as a […]

when seth & stella were up front at the show and e. was out smoking, a filipino boy approached me. he had moppy hair and a mole above his lip. “you look like you could use some ‘filipino company.’” i didn’t offer him a seat. he went on to say that he overheard my conversation […]

no specifics, but that guy who has the job at the end of the windy line to tell you when it’s your turn to go next, he was wearing glaringly white nikes. my eyes hurt. –fry’s electronics

this man, he was wearing something on his head, like a scarf or bandanna maybe. and braids. he had a few strands of dirty hair wrapped in fabric. a white t-shirt & overalls. and a big dangling earring, much like my favorite pair in the ’80s. it sort of resembled silver chimes hanging from his […]

he was wearing a ratty white t-shirt and khaki shorts. i didn’t much notice his face, just his voice. “car wash, miss?” he asked. “maybe on my way back,” i said. “how about a donation? our friend just died.” the sign he was carrying resembled the spray paint on the walls in town. the other […]

I first noticed her brown wiry curls and leathery skin. She’d clearly been in the sun too long. her belt buckle was the size of a credit card. Her jeans looked like they’d walked out of the 80s. She was wearing a fuzzy black tanktop and no bra. “Is she a hooker?” Lisaann asked. –Dresden […]

i noticed this girl pointing our direction. i looked to see what it was she was pointing at and saw a boy — tall, skinny, blond (he looked a lot like gap stockboy matt) — holding up his cellphone so that whoever was on the line, a girl presumably, could hear the song. it was […]