Author Archives: Krysia Jopek

The rain came to be a refrain that August that would recede like all days into the rearview mirror, an exercise in memory and distance.   One wondered how the tomatoes would ever ripen and how the portulaca would ever … Continue reading →

Sleep took the dreamer after the thunder and lightning to the sea and then a war that descended at the shoreline. Airplanes decorated the sky without noise or music. Then, the refrain of rain and waking. On one’s feet all … Continue reading →

Samual waited two weeks before he approached Ethan and sought him at night—thinking the proprietor would be tired and more likely to comply. The man’s Arabic wasn’t as good as the wife’s, which would also work to his advantage. He … Continue reading →

1. The dog drove the jeep into the cement base of the Handicapped sign. The traffic continued to flow on the highway. The angels are tired from saving so many. The ghosts cringe in an abstract way. No one finds … Continue reading →

The island within: the ship of the singular brought me here, or I was here all along but couldn’t articulate. There were others I had to send away. They didn’t recognize me.   The caregiver doesn’t recognize the beloved. He … Continue reading →

Do the neighbors think my flashlight eccentric or that the cat is missing again? Everything is awash in lavender-blue moonlight—especially the towering monkshood, cascades of verbena lace, the white snap dragons. Even the ladders of cathedral bells, the waving French … Continue reading →

I wrapped the clouded night sky around me to hide the moonflowers growing from my stomach up my throat. Their elegant chalices choked me, making it impossible to speak or make sense of things I used to know. They were … Continue reading →

We never knew what to make of the couple. They weren’t like us at all—their skin color, their features, hair, attire, demeanors. They seemed fake, frankly. Always smiling and the woman—always trying to eavesdrop and speak Arabic. And that House … Continue reading →

Dear Sir and Madam, My family was desperately poor in Taipei. There were nine of us, and I was the oldest. My parents sold me. I’m not sure how much money they received from the two men in suits who … Continue reading →

Proclaim WARRIOR status. Pluck the dead tiger lilies. The goldfish orange ones, crumpled, and still wet with death. Press down hard when you sign the legal documents. No, we’re sorry. No e-sign–and extra postage will be required. Note: you will … Continue reading →