Long Christmas by Court Merrigan
He brought her home to Wyoming. She smiled nonstop. An uncle loudly asked about her line of work. Before she got pregnant.
Prostitute, he told them. Grandma decided her hearing really was going. Kids were asked
to play elsewhere.
Outside, she made her first snow angel, cheeks ashen with cold.
Court Merrigan has been published widely, including PANK, Shotgun Honey and Evergreen Review. You can find links here. He lives in Wyoming's banana belt with his family and works at Eastern Wyoming College.
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9-11-11 Indelible
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4 comments:
I like this a lot. Vivid and resonant.
Thanks, Steve, for the read and kind comment.
I really dig that last line. That's classy writing.
Thanks, Chris - appreciate the thoughtful words, especially coming from you.