Untitled
By
Matt Mullican Blasted Allegories
Learning Learning Hearing Learning
Learning Feeling
Smelling Bleeding Entering Making Traveling Crying Learning
Learning Feeling
Her birth Her family Her house, home to crawl The heat from the kitchen stove to walk her mother upstairs The street noises coming in the window to talk The rug on the living room floor The trees growing in the backyard to use her hands hungry after her nap The sunlight hurt her eyes Her fourth birthday The salt on the dining room table the fresh autumn air after skinning her knee school The pillow on her parent’s bed friends to the mountains when feeling lost The people living down the street to read words The dining room table The sky was a light shade of blue arithmetic Her best friend’s brother hungry after skipping lunch
Learning Learning Catching Entering
Having Noticing Feeling They got Playing Feeling Looking Entering Playing Going Doing Tasting Thinking Experiencing Scaring There were Looking Finding Visiting
to ride a bike The full moon lights up the night sky about gravity in school The light in the hallway her breath after running home the sixth grade—becoming older Their pet dog The door between her and her older sister’s room to go to the bathroom that the tree in the backyard is changing color the glare of the sun on her eyes two inches of rain that week handball at school The street light proud of her schoolwork at herself in the mirror the seventh grade in the backyard The food cans in the kitchen cabinet to the school dance her homework that there’s too much salt in the salad about going steady puberty the dog by slamming the door so many stars that she couldn’t count them all out her bedroom window new friends in school As the year progressed the days got shorter her aunt’s house
Getting Brushing Getting Riding Entering Going
Becoming Making Hearing Getting Getting Going Entering Hearing Taking Burning Spending
Thinking Learning Remembering Touching
a boyfriend and going steady her teeth Her dog dies an electric shock the bus to school the drama club Her boyfriend’s little sister to camp over the summer The sound of the record player in the living room The air felt thick that morning sick—not going to school out her parents argue a younger sister—thinking to herself scared to parties often high school static while talking on the phone care of her little sister After gym she was very tired herself while cooking The telephone ringing in the hallway the summer at a beach house The ocean seemed endless A large man passing her on the sidewalk about the people she has yet to meet to drive a car the time she hurt herself skiing her right eye with her index finger Family moves to a new neighborhood
Taking Becoming Fantasizing Going Hugging Entering Falling
Majoring Getting Staying Cutting Studying Getting Quitting Moving
Thinking Boiling Getting Looking Receiving
The sound of an airplane flying overhead a bath interested in history about marriage The dining room table set for eating to the movies her father college, moving away from home Her roommate asleep while studying Her roommate’s home town The amount of time it takes to walk to school in history in college a boyfriend The sound of the record player in the next room up, watching the sunrise from her rooftop her hair the history of her country married in the afternoon Their front door school to a new house Her husband’s family The manhole in the street of her in-laws Her husband’s work water while cooking a job for herself at herself in the mirror a letter from her parents
Having Watching Eating Knowing Thinking Moving
Stubbing
Feeling
Getting Thinking Making Smelling Thinking
Trying Having Not eating
her wisdom teeth removed the light refract through the kitchen window lunch A pencil on her desk at work she is going to have a baby of her parents Her baby is born into a larger house There is lots of green around the new house Her husband’s mouth her toe while running Her son’s baby shoes February twenty—sixth thirsty one hot afternoon Her husband’s boss Another birthday, she is getting older her hands wet about her son’s life love with her husband the fresh autumn air of her childhood The telephone wires Her son’s learning to walk The people living next door to find her glasses The covers on their bed another baby, a girl very much She only had an hour to get home Her son’s school work
Visiting
Sensing Renewing Taking Dreaming Thinking
Traveling Taking Reading Dropping Kissing Having
Touching
Looking Brushing
her husband’s sister The noise from a large truck Her daughter’s fourth birthday that her son is in danger an interest in history Her daughter’s left hand a shower that she spoke a foreign language of her husband’s childhood An object in the back seat of their car The floor she stands on October fifth Her husband shaved regularly to a large city Her son’s graduation a photograph a book in the study Her husband’s current income a dish—watching it break her husband The days seemed to be going by faster trouble breathing The new living room furniture The sidewalk around the corner the wall Her father dies, sudden grief The backyard flooded during a heavy rain at herself in the mirror Her son’s marriage her teeth
Starting
Swimming
Spending Looking Being Feeling Remembering
Touching Cooking Forgetting Going
Working Wondering Being Noticing Catching Watching Taking
a garden Her daughter’s graduation The broken glass in the basement door An itch in the lower part of her back Her daughter’s school in a foreign country half the year at the ocean at a photograph of herself as a child scared to enter a dark room Having a grandchild older schooldays A glass of water They have retired Their son’s independence herself a “hearty meal” her age Their house for a trip around the world Hair turning white Her daughter’s marriage at her desk where that person lives visited by her daughter-in-law’s parents that the sky is a light shade of blue The red car down the block her breath TV a nap in the hot sun
Moving Thinking Scaring Going Feeling Looking Not being Bleeding Thinking Cooking Looking Thinking Looking Thinking
Her husband dies about her eventual death the dog by slamming the door A family reunion during Christmas for a walk in the garden old, not caring at her feet able to see clearly after skinning her knee of the faces of her parents vegetables The door between her and her sister’s room at her eyes in the mirror The floor she stands on of her husband at herself in the mirror of her death Her death
book design by Makenzie Kressin