Flash Nonfiction
True short stories of the author’s life
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My sister Du had ‘catch & release’ boyfriends who later became pals of mine. As if I sorted through her discard pile for chums, too introverted to find friends of my own. 2nd-hand friends are cheaper energy-wise. Plus they’ve already been vetted. They only needed to appreciate gallows humor. One of her exes & I… Read more
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’79 was not the Summer of Love for queers in Seattle, though it was the summer I spent tripping most of the time. I’m not sure if it was this or my physical stature that made many of my friends feel protective of me. I only know they needn’t have bothered. I’ve been uncannily fortunate.… Read more
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I’m in pajamas, slippers, & a light corduroy jacket, in a downpour with 60 mph gusts. & I’m wielding a chainsaw. No, these are not the opening words to my confession of a killing spree. There are some who might not put it past me, but I continue to maintain that I’m not inclined to… Read more
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On one occasion that I almost blundered into my untimely demise I can place the blame on my childhood obsession with swashbuckling & the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Having a weird luck has kept me from ever being arrested or seriously injured by acts of peril. My Grim would be a different Reaper that… Read more
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My first marriage was ideal in terms of amicability & mutual respect. From one vantage point it was an arranged marriage, though I don’t want to step on any cultural toes. My husband could only have been more absent if he were a ghost. Which suited us both, me being queer & he just wanting… Read more
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It doesn’t take much cause for me to question my sanity. Although that makes one kind of ripe for gaslighting, I only fell prey to someone who used such tactics once. Not long into the relationship it dawned on me. I stayed as long as I did out of empathy. I had hope this deeply… Read more
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Peer pressure is anathema to me. Mild cajoling if I’m only vaguely disinterested doesn’t count. But once I’ve outright voiced a negatory & wheedling continues, I get miffed. Woe to the person who tries to guilt trip me into activities I don’t want to engage in! That’s a dirty thing to do to anyone, especially… Read more
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At times I wonder if I’ve slipped into speaking Sumerian. Possibly a past-life resurfacing; in this one I speak only English. Or perhaps I’m mumbling unawares. I try to enunciate. Yet there are individuals who respond like I said something else altogether. Maybe they only tune in to every 5th word, then fill in the… Read more
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[Revision of a story published in 2016] You can take the queer out of the city, but you can’t make the Navy town on the peninsula seem anything but off. Vestiges of the city follow, the seedy bits. Perhaps it’s the military presence that encourages seamier behavior. If that’s the case, I have yet another… Read more
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Rare is the person who has kept house with critters & not, at some point, felt the close of teeth on skin. It’s a rite of passage. Sharing life with beings whose sole means of defense is the power of their jaws, it just happens. I may be antisocial, but no people have resorted to… Read more
Huh? 