Serving The Creative Communities From Chicago To Milwaukee
Free! Issue 12
Throes of Progress II: Kathy Weaver, Jacqueline Moses and Dominic Sansone Kathy Weaver Panopticon charcoal, airbrush, gouache, stitched, burned, machine stitched 43" x 52" 2014
Jacquline Moses Globalization Affects: Peru oil on canvas 54" x 66"
Dominic Sansone Guns cast urethane foam, paint, iron, and steel 24" x 34" x 6" 2014
Throes of Progress II: Kathy Weaver, Jacqueline Moses and Dominic Sansone February 2- March 19, 2016 Opening Reception: Thursday, Feb.11 4:30- 7:30 For generations, society's architects have manufactured massive industrial techno-scapes that rapidly displaced any previous world that stood in the way. Surely it was for the best, for intellectual and economic advancement, they reasoned, as they justified this unchecked growth by calling every venture "progress". Yet what if "progress" no longer implies improvement, but violation? And so we are left to lament the loss of what we can scarcely remember in detail: a community of vital selves in a vital place. It is this grim, mechanical dystopia that artists Jacqueline Moses, Kathy Weaver and Dominic Sansone confront in "Throes of Progress II."
Opening Reception:
Exhibit Runs:
November 6th, 4:30- 7:30 pm
November 6 to December 13, 2014
Artists will be present at the opening reception. All exhibits are free and open to the public..
Special
(Closed Nov. 24 – Nov. 30 for Thanksgiving Break )
Rare Fruits & Tall Tales: Jerry Belland, Kay Knight and Eric Penington March 28th - April 29th, 2016 Christmas Festival Reception: December 5th, Opening Reception: Thursday, March 31st 4:30 - 7:30 pm
Free and open to the public.
4:30- 7:30 pm
Studio Art Thesis Exhibitions May 2nd - 14th, 2016
Gallery Hours: Opening Reception: Saturday, May 7th 1 - 4 pm Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Thursday Evening 6 - 8 p.m. Gallery Hours: Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. Monday- Friday 12 - 5 pm Thursday 6 - 8 pm Saturday 1 - 4 pm
For more information on upcoming events, visit www.carthage.edu/art gallery For more information on upcoming events, visit www.carthage.edu/art gallery
Custom framing, gift registry, layaway, complimentary gift wrapping, and unsurpassed customer service. (262)635-0580 | 423 Main St. Racine thenorthernlightsgallery.com
The Rise, Fall, and Rise of the Zine By Chet Griffith
In the ancient world, man faced and overcame unimaginable obstacles. He discovered how to make fire, craft crude tools, and make sweet mastodon paintings on cave walls. But even with these amazing discoveries, he still couldn’t figure out how to instantly stream video to his “little sugar lips” nor could he instantly share a pic of his cat, Mr. Piddles, with 600 of his closest friends. Life was difficult twenty years ago! Back then, the (still) ridiculous word “blog” had nothing to do with writing; rather Blog the Mighty was a ferocious alien invader bent on earthly domination…but I digress. The point is, twenty years ago was a boom time for the humble little publication known as a zine. There is extensive information out there about zine history, so I won’t go into it here. But it is important to note that the rise of the zine was directly attributed to a profoundly human need: the need to communicate. The zine offered a place to express thoughts and ideas from people whose voices often went unheard. Through this loose-knit network of disparate thought, friendships were formed and a community eventually emerged. The zinesters-ofold armed themselves with glue, tape, Sharpies, a copy machine and a little ingenuity. With these crude tools, they created publications that reflected the personality of their creators. The ability to present a raw, unfiltered message—whether a manifesto, comic strip, art or poetry—was a revelation for an entire generation. Zines came into their own in the ‘90s, guided by a punk aesthetic; they were rebellious and hip, and even enjoyed a fair amount of commercial success. Then along came a spider…The internet killed the zine. Although the internet of the ‘90s was clunky at best, it was still much easier to share writing on the web than it was to make a batch of zines on your kitchen table. Since the zinesters’ objective is to be seen, it made sense that the web was the next logical step. Then a strange thing happened. It became apparent that all the folks who proclaimed that the printed page was dead may have been a bit premature. Finding a web audience turned out to be more difficult than originally thought. We are a tactile species and just like the feel of paper. We enjoy the physical act of turning the page and holding a tangible object in our hands. And who can deny that it’s amazing to get cool stuff in the mail? Fast forward twenty years. Modern zine shows are packed, often with more vendors than tables. They are peddled through websites like Etsy and at local zine distros (stores that carry zines). Yes, zines are alive and well, and luckily there are many being made right in your own backyard. Curious? You can find some very cool zines made by folks in your own community at: ArtWorks, 5002 7th Avenue, Kenosha, (262) 652-5911 4 A Message From The Publisher / Chet Griffith
Issue 12 Spring 2016
Left of the Lake
04 The Rise, Fall, and Rise of the Zine
By Chet Griffith
07 Kenosha / Racine Poets Laureate 08 Jessie Lynn McMains
By Lisa Adamowicz Kless
By Jessie Lynn McMains
Cocktails, Courtney Love 09 Over Tells Me about Aging 10 Brent Mitchell
By Peg Rousar-Thompson
11 Hieroglyphs
By Brent Mitchell
17 Nice Sweet Home
By Deanna Antony
21 Megan #1
By Katie Gentner
22 Stilettos
By Judith Pannozo
26 In The Studio
By Lisa Bigalke
With A Plan: Racine’s 30 Passion Northern Lights Gallery
By Pam Viroglio
31 Children of the Revolution #28
By Dove Paige Anthony
33 2FL: Looper
By John Bloner, Jr.
34 Golden Opportunity
By Griffin Urbaniak
17 Stripwax Flashback
Publisher: Chet Griffith Graphic Designer: Joshua Frazer Editor: Lisa Adamowicz Kless Editor: Peg Rousar-Thompson Managing Editor: John Bloner, Jr. Contact Us At: editor@leftofthelake.com
By Jeff Moody
Cover Artist: Prince Parise Learn more on page 6 about this artist
PRINCE PARISE Our cover artist for this issue is Prince Pa r ise , mu ra l ist , p or t ra it a r t ist a nd ma ster pioneer i n h igh-brow phal a n g e a l l a pr i m a (w e t on w e t p a i nti n g te c h n iq ue .) He w ork s i n a v a r iet y of med iu ms , ra ng i ng f rom spray cans to crayons, uti l izing a heav y h a n d w ith an aff init y for the opaque and a c o m p l e t e d i s r e g a r d f o r b o t h t r a d it iona l and modern practices. His work of ten feat u re s need le s sly ba re f ig u re s , w it h a st rong bia s for t he fema le subjec t. Cr it ic s , w it h a pa rticular k nack for naming things, have described his work as pop surrealism. He works out of his studios in Bay view and Racine, W I.
Re-Vision Art Gallery, 4625 Sheridan Road, is proud to display his artwork, bot h i ndoor s a nd outdoor s. H is mura l on t he g a l ler y ’s sout h w a l l features an image of actress Amy Adams, por tray ing ar tist Margaret Keane, in the f ilm Big Eyes. You can a lso f ind Prince online at www.instagram.com / princeparise.
KENOSHA/ RACINE POETS LAUREATE W
hat do you pic t u re when you hea r t he t it le “p oet l au reate? ” Perhaps you were traumatized in high school by the works of William Carlos Williams and have a gag ref lex at the sight of a red wheelbarrow. No need to r un away. You don’t need to k now you r rondo f rom you r reng a to ap pr e c i ate w h at ’s g oi n g on w it h t he K enosha / R ac i ne Poets L au reate Program. It started in 2011 when the laurel wreath was f irst worn by Angie Aker (Kenosha) and Darin Zimpel and Stephen Kalmar II (Racine). T he prog ra m is d ist inct ; its focus is more on communit y t ha n ind iv idua l glor y. Each poet takes on a creative project to carr y out over their t woyear term. Racine’s Nick Ramsey, who served from 2013-15, paired 12 visual
a r t ists w it h a n equa l nu mber of p oets. Each inter preted a nd responded to the others’ creation. The result was Transformation: Art and Poetry, an exhibit at the Racine Art Council, which has recently been put into book form for sale at R AC. Kenosha’s Jean Preston cultivated a creative voice in senior citizens, seniors in college, and seniors in high school for her project, aptly named Senior Voices. The words of these participants were published in book form. In addition, they shared their work with a large audience at an event in their honor at the Kenosha Public Museum. Tu r n to t he ne x t few pages a nd get to k now ou r newest poets lau reate, R a c i ne ’s Je s s ie Ly n n Mc M a i n s a nd Kenosha’s Brent Mitchel l. Those involved in t heir select ion a re e xcited to see what they bring to the program over the next two years and hope you can be a part of that journey.
Kenosha / Racine Poets Laureate 7
Jessie Lynn McMains By Lisa Adamowicz Kless
If you think that most poetry is stuffy, pompous, and only meant for a certain crowd, Jessie Lynn McMains is going to challenge that idea. A writer, zine-maker, and the new poet laureate of Racine, one of her goals during her term is “… to show people that poetry doesn’t have to be boring, that it doesn’t belong to snooty professor-types or pretentious hipsters who hang out in cafes all day long; it can have the energy of a punk rock show,” she says. And punk is one of the main things that inspires her writing; “not just the music, but the electricity and fearlessness. Even when I’m not writing about punk, the undying spirit of punk rock fuels me.” Nostalgia is the biggest catalyst when it comes to Jessie’s poetry—and really all of her writing—she says though. “Pretty much every day I get hit with vivid memories of various people, places, and times in my life, and I’ve found that the best way to deal with those is to use them in my writing.” Before moving back to Racine four years ago, Jessie was a part of literary and arts communities around the U.S. and in Canada. Even without being physically present in a place, she’s been able to share her work through zines for the better part of two decades. When I asked about the possibility of her zines and poetry being intertwined, she told me, “I wouldn’t say that my work with zines has necessarily influenced my poetry, or the other way around. But I do think there are similarities between the two. I fell in love with both poetry and zines around the same time in my life, and they both helped save me; they both gave me a way to get all my thoughts and feelings out of my brain and onto the page. The other thing that they have in common is that they’re both labors of love. I write poetry and make zines because I love to, because I need to, not to become rich or famous. And if you do get into poetry or zines because you’re looking for money or fame, well—you’ve gotten into the wrong line of work.” While being able to create connections by what she shares in her zines, Jessie says that she hasn’t been heavily involved in the local literary community yet—another thing that she plans to work on during her term. “One of the reasons I’m excited about being the new poet laureate of Racine County is the opportunity this will give me to connect with writers and other creative people here in southeastern Wisconsin.” Visit Jessie’s blog at rustbeltjessie.tumblr.com 8 Jessie Lynn McMains / Lisa Adamowicz Kless
Brent Mitchell
By Peg Rousar-Thompson
My only experience with classic poetry was in high school and it left me feeling like I was staring into a room I just couldn’t enter. As an adult, I checked out a copy of Dylan Thomas from our local library and my dog ate it. I took that as a sign. For Brent Mitchell, poetry has always been part of the everyday. Quoted like lyrics from pop music or memorized like commercial jingles, he grew up knowing these metaphorical words were the doorway to self-expression and commemorating the world around us. Encouraged by his dad, Brent began writing music in his teens. Hanging out in the honkytonks and jazz clubs from Fort Worth to Austin, Texas, he describes his early years as “fun, but aimless.” What I hear, however, is the voice of a self-learner. When Brent wasn’t teaching himself something on his pawn shop guitar, he was reading 19th century novels – American, British, Russian – along with classic poetry. His first poems were published before he was twenty. Brent has worked as a cowboy, hitchhiked across the country, lived in Nashville, Great Britain and spent time in Mexico. All of these adventures are woven into both his music and poetry; stories of vast Texas skies and the breath of horses, but also the human condition. His layered poetry speaks of love, of faith, of death. Part of the process of being poet laureate involves developing a plan to spread the love and appreciation of the written word throughout the community. Brent’s idea is to incorporate poetry into our own everyday, to urge both young and old in our community to memorize, recite and create. Brent believes embracing the classics is the key, that Auden and Whitman’s words will help us grasp the rhythm and layers of a poem. Once we can distinguish poetry from prose, from narrative speech or even song lyrics, it can create an innate poetic sense in our tongue and ear and expand our vocabulary and imaginative range. A portion of his poet laureate project will be to bring these classics – and the memorization and performance aspect – to Kenosha’s diverse population. Coupled with poetry slams and open mics, Brent would like to see these events pop up in curious neighborhood places: storefronts, street corners or even the back room of a corner market. And he believes that if each of us finds that single poem we love, by feeling those words in our own mouths, that it will unlock the door to all poetry. I think I’ll start with some Dylan Thomas. 10 Brent Mitchell / Peg Rousar-Thompson
Theelighttcaughttcloudssforroneeinstanttlastttwilight westtofftheehighway,,hung innshapessoffannunfamiliarralphabet, assweedroveepasttyourrbirthplace,,crossinggmine,,tooburyyyou. IIcannottreaddtheeclouds. norrtheseeconstellationssoffcigaretteebutts,,bottleecaps, anddblackkoakkshadows, norrtheepatternssinntheesloping,,archinggfields, thoughhallltheecountrysideeisslittereddwithhRosettaaStones. IIcoulddhaveelearneddfrommyou. IIcoulddhaveewatcheddmoreeclosely whennbyycampfireeglow, youurolleddaasmokeeanddprayerfullyyexhaled, assemberssflasheddanddspunnacrossstheecorneallfilmmoffyourrblackkeyes, answereddbyytheeglitteringgoffstars. .
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Come visit our gallery for functional, affordable art from many local artists. 320 Main Street Racine WI 53403 (262) 583-1499 www.twicebakedpottery.com Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m
www.kenoshamedia.org
Turn to Kenosha Community Media for coverage of these upcoming events KENOSHA AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EXPO Saturday-Sunday, March 5-6, 2016 10 am-4 pm • www.kenoshaexpo.com UW-Parkside Frank J. Petretti Fieldhouse 900 Wood Road, Kenosha
SPRING ELECTION • CANDIDATE FORUMS Forum Date(s) To-Be-Announced WGTD 91.1 FM/Gateway Technical College 3520 30th Avenue, Kenosha (Spring Election is Tuesday, April 6, 2016)
KENOSHA LITERACY COUNCIL SPELLING BEE Friday, April 8, 2016 • 5:30 pm Gateway Madrigrano Auditorium 3520 30th Avenue, Kenosha www.kenoshalit.org
KENOSHA SYMPHONY • MONTAGE OF MOZART Saturday, April 9, 2016 • 7:30 pm Carthage College Siebert Chapel 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha www.kenoshasymphony.org Sponsor coverage of any or all of these events. Call or write for details.
262.656.8497 or info@kenoshamedia.org Channel 14 or Channel 97.14
Deanna Antony / Nice Sweet Home  17
ZINE 101 • Southwest Library, 7979 38th Ave, Kenosha Tuesday, March 15, 2016 6:00-8:00 PM Learn about zines: what they are, their history, and the current scene. You'll have a chance to make your own! Presented by Racine Poet Laureate Jessie Lynn McMains. Please register online or call 564-6130. For adults.
FREE ZINE @ THE DISTRO • ArtWorks, 5002 7th Ave, Kenosha Tuesday, March 15, 2016 • 10 AM - 6:00 PM Pick up a copy of RANDOM CRUSH, a collaborative zine project by Kenosha/Racine artists and authors at the Zine Distro, located inside ArtWorks. Only 50 free copies available, so arrive early to grab your own.
INTERNATIONAL ZINE MONTH • July 2016 Celebrate zines and independent publishing during IZM! Join the Kenosha/Racine Area Zine Makers Group on Facebook for information on local zine-related activities.
ZINE FEST • ArtWorks, 5002 7th Ave, Kenosha Saturday, August 13, 2016 • 11 AM- 4 PM In alliance with the “Writing on the Wall” text/art exhibit at ArtWorks , Zine Fest will provide activities, readings, and opportunities to buy and sell zines.
Zine image by Burn The Asylum
Kenosha/Racine Area Zine Makers invites you to join them online at their Facebook group.
new * resale * consignment * sizes 0-3x
brand new jewelry, scarves and more * gift cards available
Official Retailer Left of the Lake / State of the Arts  19
20 Baby Joins the Circus / Suellyn Scoon
William Katie Gentner Zuback // Megan Sojourner #1 21
22 Stilettos / Judy Pannozo
Left ofWilliam the LakeZuback / State /ofSojourner the Arts 23
frazer creative
illustration + design
www.jkfrazer.com
In the Studio By Lisa Bigalke
Finding inspiration can be tricky, fickle, and just out of reach. Then out of nowhere, while driving a car, taking a shower, or picking vegetables, inspiration strikes; always when I don’t have the ability to write it down! In graduate school, I prepared for dry spells by keeping an idea journal, a practice I still use. Keeping a pocket-sized sketchbook with me, I can capture ideas as they come and they rarely come in the studio with the clock ticking in the background. Checking the idea book is helpful when allotting time for large, cohesive bodies of work. Not every idea makes it into the idea book. Some ideas hit and just don’t let go until the piece is finished, upsetting my calendar. Example: I cried my way through a documentary on disposable plastics polluting our water sources. After the movie ended, I looked around my house and I found tons of plastic; water bottles, bags, toys etc. I was devastated. After a few days I still couldn’t let the discomfort go. This issue hit very close to home—the protein in my diet comes largely from fish. If fish are eating plastic, then I’m eating plastic. Yuck. Would I lose salmon or tilapia forever? And what about all the plastic in my house? The hypocrisy! My discomfort inspired me to create Fish Food, a series of ten handmade books, which I drew, cut, printed plates and assembled in less than a month. My enthusiasm carried over into a new set of prints, which required me to cut three intricate plates in five days. Big mistake. My right wrist and left shoulder were sore for weeks. Not being able to work on this series drove me (and those around me) nuts. Everything I did aggravated my wrist. And, that just pissed me off because I knew better. Even though my body was sore after the first eight hours of cutting, I kept working for four more days. I wasn’t listening to and taking care of my body. This project should have taken two years to complete, not a week. My impatience once again got the best of me. Ironically, the physical limitation that my healing imposed has inspired another series of prints! Vicki Seebeck 26 In the Studio / Lisa Bigalke
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#6
What is your forecast for your community for the next five years?
Artists represented: Mark Adams
Visit Racine Art Museum Learn more about art exhibitions and events at ramart.org January 24 – May 1, 2016
Cut, Fold, and Form: Featuring Kiff Slemmons and Julie VonDerVellen January 31 – July 10, 2016
Spectrum: Contemporary Artists in Color February 21 – June 5, 2016
California Dreamin’: Mark Adams and Frank Lobdell March 17 – April 3, 2016
RAM 7th Annual International PEEPS Art Exhibition
Racine Art Museum 262.638.8300
Nearby in Downtown Racine www.ramart.org
Left of the Lake / State of the Arts 29
Passion with a Plan: Racine’s Northern Lights Gallery By Pam Viroglio Pam and Jack Viroglio had a dream, but they also had a plan. On the cusp of the 21st century, they melded their corporate management backgrounds with their love of fine art and jewelry and opened their first gallery in a 600 square foot space in Manitowish Waters, only a short drive on Wisconsin Highway 51 from the Upper Peninsula. They soon found success, doubling their shop’s footprint by the second year of operations. In 2004, they opened Northern Lights Gallery on Main Street in downtown Racine, emboldened by the area’s burgeoning business and art scene. The Downtown Business Improvement District #1 had recently been formed to ensure cleanliness, security, and a festive atmosphere, among many other amenities, to the area. Around this same time, S.C. Johnson moved its global headquarters for two of its branches there, and they were joined by the Racine Art Museum. The future looked bright. Only four years later, however, the Great Recession hit hard. Jack and Pam watched as many shops closed or changed their business model to survive. Customers were still visiting their store, but spending less. Those who had not thought twice about spending $1,000 or more on fine art were purchasing prints instead. A change was in order, but one that would not compromise Jack and Pam’s vision. They diversified their inventory, adding boutique items such as handbags with character and high workmanship; home accents, including kaleidoscopes and teleidoscopes, candles, clocks, furniture, and ceramic tiles; and many styles and specialized metals of jewelry. They also added framing and jewelry repair services. Today, thanks to Jack and Pam’s fortitude, knowledge of their industry, and passion for the arts, Northern Lights Gallery has not only survived but prospered. Sales have returned to pre-recession figures and should exceed them soon. They thank their dedicated staff for their success, but most of all they are grateful for the people who stop by to shop, browse, ask questions, and delight in the surroundings of the gallery. They hope you will visit them. They’re located at 424 Main Street and are open 7 days a week. See them online at www.northernlightsgallery.com and contact them at (262) 635-0580 or via email at info@northernlightsgallery.com. 30 Passion With A Plan / Pam Viroglio
Dove Paige Anthony / Children of the Revolution #28  31
Submit Your Work To Left Of The Lake Left of the Lake Magazine is published quarterly and accepts work continuously. We welcome submissions from both new and established artists and writers, nationally and internationally, but first consideration is offered to the creative people in our region of Southeast Wisconsin and Northeast Illinois. General Guidelines: • All work must be original and not previously published • No simultaneous submissions Submissions Welcome: • Poetry (maximum of three pieces) • Fiction or Non-Fiction (400 words or less) • Visual Art, Photography, or Comics (maximum of two pieces) How-To Submit: • We prefer electronic submissions, either as an attachment or in the body of an email. Send work to editor@leftofthelake.com and please include your name, address, and a short bio of 30 words or less.
Questions? Contact us! editor@leftofthelake.com 32 Submit To Left of The Lake / Left of The Lake
By John Bloner, Jr. How far would you go to save someone you love?
its playground, homes and apartment buildings in search of them.
The 2012 sci-f i f ilm, Looper, asks this quest ion, as it tel ls t he stor y of Joe (played by Joseph Gordon-Leavitt), a g un-for-hire in t he yea r 20 4 4. Joe’s job is simple: wa it in a K a nsas f ield f o r a t i m e -t r a v e l i n g h o s t a g e f r o m t h i r t y yea r s on to sudden ly app ea r, then blow a hole in him. Next: burn the body to complete a perfect crime.
Meanwhile, young Joe f lees from the syndicate. It’s a bad thing to let your v ic t i m r u n , a nd Jo e ’s employ e r h a s crueler things than death to deal with these transgressions. He escapes into a sugarcane f ield and f inds himself at a farmhouse, inhabited by Sara (played by Emily Blunt), a young mother and h e r l i t t l e b o y, C i d . S h e c u l t i v a t e s crops and chops wood. She’s f iercely protective of her land and her son.
Joe ca r r ies out t his mu rderous t rade day a f ter day, work ing for mob men from the year 2074. At night, h e cruises his favor ite c lub a nd has se x w it h o n e o f it s s h o w g i r l s . M o s t l y, howe ver, he’s a lone , a g r u nt sold ier for the syndicate. O n e d a y, h i s v i c t i m i s l a t e . W h e n he f ina l ly a rrives, Joe recogniz es t he man’s face as his ow n. He hesitates, giving old Joe (played by Bruce Wil lis) a chance to escape and begin his murderous quest. Old Joe is on a mission to k ill the boy who will grow up to be responsible for the death of his w ife. He k nows the date when the boy was born, but his g o a l i s c ompl ic ate d : t h r e e c h i ld r e n match this detail. He prowls the cit y,
Joe is f irst drawn to the farmhouse as a hideout, but his time there changes him. Through Sara, he f inds a love beyond the erotic. He learns compassion for not only another human being but for the earth itself. In the f ilm’s f inal act, Joe’s old world impinges on his new one and he must ma ke a decision t hat w i l l a f fect not only himself, but mank ind. L A S T WOR D: Fol low i ng h is work on Looper, director Rian Johnson went on to d i rec t se vera l episode s of t he TV series Breaking Bad, and will direct Star Wars: Episode V III, expected to arrive in theaters in May 2017. He’s also slated to write the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode I X. John Bloner, Jr. / 2FL: Looper 33
Golden Opportunity By Griffin Urbaniak
T
he summer I am eleven my father decides that instead of our customary grace, which consists of retrieving a small cardboard slip from a ceramic bread loaf and reading aloud its printed Bible verse, that he needs to read a full chapter from Daily Devotions before we are allowed eat. As he reaches page three, my mother, who is also forbidden to smoke during this recitation, shoots him a look of pure hate while the food she’s prepared cools in front of us. My own rebellion against this consists of ignoring him while singing a Monkees song in my head.
Both my mother and I have been aware of his latest affair for some time. It was back in October that we’d seen the woman in some movies he’d shot of her at an IBM convention in Florida. She was visibly pregnant in her bathing suit by the blue pool, and I was old enough to know that when people took their clothes off at hotels this could sometimes happen. “Another whore?” my mother had asked. He didn’t answer her. Religion is the only weapon my father has against us anymore. For a long time it was sex, but my mother’s anger and my own disinterest made his promiscuity impotent. We understand that the misery we cause drives him to cheat, drives him away from us. We would try to be better, but we both know the source of his misery is the fact that we exist at all. So this summer we learn: We are sinners, and the more we sin, the more he has to have sex with women at hotels. 34 Golden Opportunity / Griffin Urbaniak
My father is droning in his best church elder voice. I know the dreadful, savory moment is coming, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. The clock on the stove informs me that it has been exactly f ifteen minutes since he began. My mother is making the hiss-hiss sounds, her bottom lip sucking against her teeth, that indicate she’s reached the end of her tolerance. I hear the cat scratch in its pan in the hallway closet and outside, the automatic sprinkler system clicks on and starts to sputter. The last record on the living room stereo drops down and my father reads, “It was decreed that the women should be shamed for their adultery…” “Enough, Paul!” my mother spits and reaches across the table to grab the devotion book out of his hands. The vase of f lowers teeters as her arm grazes its lip. She shoves her chair back and stalks into the guest bath. We hear paper being torn and the sound of water running. This is great! I think to myself. She is ripping it up and trying to throw it down the toilet! It is now that a golden opportunity presents itself. My mother’s cigarette pack is right between her plate and my glass, and in plain view of my father and God, I pull out three Bel Airs and put them in my t-shirt pocket. I can’t wait until after dinner, when I go down to the park with my friends Andy and Angeline. With cigarettes for each of us, I’ ll be the coolest kid in the world. Griffin Urbaniak / Golden Opportunity 35
TJ Morris Author
Great Black History Read 1920’s Historical Fiction “Blood is Thicker Than Color” P.O. Box 8847 Waukegan, IL 60079 storiword@comcast.net ISBN-13: 978-1502781789 ISBN-10:1502781786 Purchase online at: www.tjmorris.info
38 Stripwax Flashback / Jeff Moody
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