Light and After by Kobus Moolman

Light and After: a new collection of poems from Kobus Moolman, published by Deep South. Contact r.berold[at]gmail[dot]com for order details.

Max Moodley: 0019

Victoria Williams: 0062

Today is about three-quarters done, but the sun is still up and so am I. Ever since I started working and bought a planner, life has arranged itself into segments of time, and I tick them off as they pass: two hours till the end of my shift, two days till my next day off, two weeks till my long weekend. Oh every month I live for my long weekend (last month: ice-cream sculpting. / this month: cigarette-rolling / next month: quitting smoking). But all this time ticking, and I’d be horrified if I didn’t know, if I didn’t believe, if I hadn’t been told – that all the years a person spends on minimum wage in a lifetime add up to the years they are allotted in the afterlife, before of course you’re exiled and return to mortal form for another round. Actually it’s a complicated system of mathematics that only a chosen few will ever know: but in essence, the more money you have, the less time you need in Nirvana anyway. So say the priests of the chapel installed in the break room.

Shower

Who gives the shower head?

Still Worlds by Gary Cummiskey

Linda Stenman on Romancing the Dead

Romancing the Dead (Tearoom Books, 2009) is a short collection of prose poems. The poems are beautiful, provoking and sometimes shocking. All of them are good and some are very good.

To read Gary Cummiskey is a special experience that shouldn’t be missed! My personal favourite is the title story. And I really like the cover.

I say: ***(**)

Thank you Tearoom Books for the review copy.

First published on Linda Loves Books. Read it HERE.

Max Moodley: 0018

Victoria Williams: 0061

Well yes, there probably is a grain of truth to what you’ve heard. Jacques has finally got The Buckeridge afloat and it’s out in international waters right now. There are two stories going around – one: that he’s creating a floating refuge for the hopeless; two: that he’s going to be searching for the melancholic painterfish. So I called him up and he says he doesn’t see why they shouldn’t both be true.

When my fiancé left me, I cut off my ring finger and told everyone it was because I’d never be needing it again – so Jacques has reserved me a cabin. And for those of you who are interested, in order to get on board you too need to prove that you’re incapable of living on land.

Placard

Your placard is showing.

The Dye Hard Interviews

Visit Gary Cummiskey's new blog, The Dye Hard Interviews, HERE.

Wednesday, July 14 by Gary Cummiskey

So Long, Harvey

Victoria Williams: 0060

Extract – Letter 5

Dear James,

Susan and Gary came into the kitchen today and separated us into men and women and I went with Susan and the women (no-one stopped me). She told us that money has been going missing (and I started to sweat) and we were all going to be subject to random security checks and possibly searches. She told us that sums close to £200 a time had been taken (so I relaxed a little – that wasn’t me). Then she said we were all going to have to comply. If they search you they’ll take you into a little room and a woman will put her hand in your bra and then… well, you’ll have to lie down and they’ll take their fingers and stretch you open and get the flashlight and a probe… just to make sure.

And later Tina got us all together and lowered her voice and said it was all true. All of it. And I thought no, it’ll never happen. Not to me. Well, you can see where this story is going right?

Knots

On their pine ceiling knots ain't healing.

Panic Awareness Day

Tearoom Books has been informed that Saturday, 10 July is Panic Awareness Day. If ever there was a day tailor-made for us, its this day. And yet, we have made no plans to commemorate it. This makes us nervous. Very nervous.

Victoria Williams: 0059

Spent half an hour squashing thick pea-soup down a drain-hole with my two cursing-fingers, (it was already partially blocked with a creamy brown substance that had rice floating in it). This was still a more complex and beautiful task than trying to bond with my colleagues.

Eating Out by Gary Cummiskey

Max Moodley: 0015

Jaywalking 101

1: Walk.

2: Stop analyzing it.