David Schuman directs the MFA program at Washington University in St. Louis. His work has appeared in Catapult, Joyland, The Rumpus and many other publications.
People like to believe they have influence over disasters, catastrophes, losses—by which they mean control—but that’s illusion, and she was done with illusion. Could she write that in her report? You’re all suffering under an illusion. Instead, she picked up the phone and texted: Island//illusion. Illusion//island. They sound the same when you say them enough. There’s a word for that, but I can’t remember it now. I can’t remember anything clearly. All my words are inverted and mirrored. edrorrim. See?
Last night I was certain pppyou were there with a gift light balanced against shadow
fugitives move along fence lines cities burningppp we’re asked to send money cities burn where are the plans there were no bells, no sirens, no warningpppthe cities burned
Flattened stone floor, covered in wooden slats, the portico with columns and even arches, not exactly the porch the other house (our same floor plan doubled into something else) had across our common grass.