Delia scrunched her eye up to the peephole and watched Rodney’s tiny rounded figure rock and toddle its way up the sidewalk, growing larger step by step. She took note of the fact that his cardigan buttons weren’t aligned, leaving a triangle-like flap to dangle at the bottom. But by the time he was large enough to fill the circle of glass, she’d determined not to care about that. Men in this town were scarce, and she’d snagged one. Imperfections be damned.

My pleasant day began with Peter at the front desk, a delightful young man. Notes of turmeric and cardamon, and just the right balance of heat; chicken tikka masala and saag paneer, I believe. It’s a shame he struggled so much, those injuries were totally avoidable.

Hey Cody,

How cute! I’ve never heard of that before. Dr. Silverman wants you to bring your cat in for an exam.

-Sincerely,

Sierra

Twin Pines Animal Hospital

The classroom wall is a journal
that spurns me day after day.
These editors, I swear to God—

Please stop writing about death.
Is everything okay at home?

(How could anything be okay anywhere?)

One Saturday afternoon after a sparring session,
my sensei and I shared a sudden lesson
across the two front seats of my hybrid sedan—
another spontaneous spiritual dojo.