My Cardboard Balcony

by Belinda Roddie The fairy's castle was crumbling. Time to steal some new teeth. She wasn't willing to take out another loan for her dental career. If not enough children were knocking their own molars out, then she would have to take care of that for them. Ignoring the fissures that were beginning to show more and more along the walls, the fairy snapped her belt on, slipping her wand, a hammer, and a pair of pliers in the loops. A pocket knife was snuck into the pocket of her corduroy jeans. She tied her hair back and then covered her scalp with a black cap. She didn't do tutus. That was just a dumb kid's tale. "Honey?" she called to the stairs above. "Yes, dear?" "I'm going out." "Better have some teeth on you." Teeth, teeth, teeth. Her whole life had been about teeth. Coins were like weeds in the kingdom - they just popped up. They were worthless, which was why the fairy exchanged them for the bicuspids. The...

"Today's broadcast is brought to you by - " "Something I don't give one iota of a shit about," grumbled Gary as he shut off the radio. I watched as he returned to the kitchen to check on the waffle iron. I was working on a crossword in a book I had gotten for Christmas. I was stuck on 25-down. I had an o, an e, and a t, but I couldn't quite figure it out. "You know anything about music, Gary?" He snorted. "Contemporary."

So. The Christmas season is here. I'm loving it. I'm loving the Christmas carols, the present wrapping, the Christmas lights. I'm so looking forward to getting a Christmas tree this weekend. And of course, I'm trying my best not to gain weight eating so much food and sweets, but I can't promise anything. I won't be able to see my girlfriend after Christmas, but that's okay. I'll see her for New Year's. For now, I'm just going to relax and enjoy a city outing with my family when San Francisco's all decorated and lit up for the holidays. So, yeah. Gonna sleep now. Here's a quotation. Writer's Quotation of the Night: Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it. - Lloyd Alexander Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.

Night by Belinda Roddie Night noises, copper moon Dreams lost in a summer monsoon Forever the evening lingers Cozy beds, windows closed Stardust caught between your toes Forever the evening lingers Scampering down forgotten stairs Moonlight drifting through your hair Silver on your fingers Fine black silk and dark blue eyes Woven on the swarming sky Forever the evening lingers Sitting on a shoreless tide Of stars and fears left on the side Of an evening that forever lingers The work you see here has not been edited nor altered since March 5th, 2007.

July was a month of dry whiskey and cherries in a basket. Popping the sweetness between my teeth one by one and kissing you with the juice still floating behind my tongue. The roses peeking from their sleepy leafy eyelids, cropped up around my aunt's backyard. Your fingers were sticky from fruit and lemonade, but you wouldn't let go of my hand. I felt my legs ache as I stood up. You helped me walk.

A Butcher Kissed Me by Belinda Roddie A butcher kissed me behind his counter, his apron still sticky with salty blood spilled from a freshly sliced up loin of pork. The room was touched with meaty aromas as his whiskery lips clung onto mine. I liked the way he placed his massive hands against my fragile back, careful not to splinter me as I tried to keep back tears. I wanted him so badly. I wanted to suck the marrow stains off his fingers, savor the loud flavors of cuts and slabs of spicy beef and goose and diced chicken. When we pulled away, his eyes melted like grease off a bone - Thawing. Glistening. White.

I was going to sail through the roof, that's how hyper I was. I was waiting for a jetpack to grow out of my spine and propel me upward, my head splintering the shingles like I was Willy Wonka driving the glass elevator out of the factory. Too much sugar? No. I was just psyched. I had received the concert tickets yesterday, and I was ready to see one of the greatest bands ever. But who to go with?