My Cardboard Balcony

Oh, My King! by Belinda Roddie He thrives on bone stripped of their meat. Hungry for more than stone, he is willing to draw a snake's fang from his belt and kill his brother with its venom. But he won't, for fear that his brother's wife would avenge him, and so his crown would be settled on a head of red curls as he turns to dust on a wooden stool that was once a throne. How meager is his legion of subjects! They huddle like starved insects in their hollow hives, only buzzing when he forcefully extracts praise from their petrified jaws. His daughter, fair maiden, has run away. The wind has carried her in its long, icy arms to the rival kingdom, where she has married their queen. That queen has knights built like golems, and a legendary sword to smite the damned. This emasculated monarch would do well not to upend the order between the two countries. But he craves more than stone. He feasts on gold and jewels from traitors' corpses. He dra...

Her friend came out as pan before Pride, and she came out as gay. They went to the parade hand in hand and looked at the corporate display. They stared at the floats and business showboats and wrinkled their queer little noses. And they ran off instead to the edge of the city to bathe in natural rainbows and roses. Those of you who still hide, I hope one day your Pride will burst forth. Know that you are supported.

"Why do you smell like licorice and salt?" I stared at her. My mouth felt like a miniature desert. "What?" I gurgled. She moved closer to me, taking a deep, exaggerated breath through her nose. Then, she frowned. "I knew it," she scowled. "You've been drinking again. Why must you always do this?" "It was only a little bit," I mumbled. "You're leaning to one side! I hardly think you've only had a little bit!"

by Belinda Roddie "Mackerel is no name for a little girl." "Why is it that you never like my name choices?" "Because they're silly." "You said the same thing about naming the cat Jumping Bean." "Yeah. It was silly. I like Zelda better." "Okay, fine. Mackerel's out. How about Salmon?" "Dude. No." "Carp?" " No!" "Rainbow Trout." "You just keep naming random fish! C'mon!" "Well, at least I added the Rainbow part of Rainbow Trout! That leaves me some gay cred!" "Sure. And zero 'capable of properly naming your hypothetical daughter' cred." "Hey, man, I take what I can get." "What little there is, at least." "Don't be mean." "It's late, I worked a long day, and I'm cranky. And we're almost out of booze." "Told you to get more." "We...

Looking at a copy of "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh on a starry night seems appropriate, don't you think? Though if I could, I'd make it more legit by going to see the real thing in New York. I don't think they keep the museum open that late, though, after the stars come out. So all I think about is the texture. And the temperature. And the tempest hidden beneath the oily sky.

This week was a good week, in many ways. To begin, my wife and I agreed to sign a lease on a new condo! The condo is situated in a location that is within walking distance of my new teaching job. We are hoping to sign the lease either this weekend or the next, and then we can start the moving process. I'm also very proud of my students at my current job. One student in particular has shown so much growth in their English class, and I am so proud of them. Accomplishments like this remind me of why I'm a teacher. And today, I got to reunite with my mentor teachers and see some of the students I used to work with graduate from the high school that I was a student teacher at. There were hugs and high fives and interjections of "Hi, Roddie!" from a few graduates. Although I wasn't able to talk to everyone I worked with, it was a really good experience to, once again, see how far my students have come. Tomorrow, I'll be helping my mother out at a local art a...

Consequences by Belinda Roddie He called it a prank, but four people were dead.