Philadelphia Stories Winter 2015

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PS_Winter_2015_PS Summer 12/2/14 9:33 PM Page 23

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third eye. It fills up a gallon every minute. I measured it once with the empty vase From the Argentinian receptionist’s front desk the day I arrived to work a few minutes early. Furthermore, I am a problem-solver. I can recognize an issue and devise a plan of action to deal with it, and I never hesitate to take on responsibility. At my current job I have taken the initiative to encourage the office to go green and to become better global citizens. As you might have noticed, this very letter has been printed on recycled Fair Trade paper handcrafted by the One WOV foundation, a Rastafari faith-based organization that, due to my persistent campaigning, my company now supports. One WOV or “Workers of Value” helps growers in Jamaica to continue to cultivate high-quality product while making a living wage, not worrying

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about “big man” oppression, and studying the divinity of Haile Selassie. It was the first thing I thought of doing, I would build up my case. It’s not that over the past five months two hundred sixteen thousand gallons of water have been lost. It’s that I am delighted to remain standing with a trusty heart and a sober mind and am a competitive candidate for whatever position you have available. I have heard such good things about you, the world at large, and have dreamt of this new opportunity. Please select the position, using the option(s) below, that you sense best fits my skills, experience, and personality type described above. Franciscan Nun: Runs a convent in the Peruvian Amazon to help the Asháninka

Veteran's Day at the Wall By Lori Widmer Seven Hundred Twenty-two miles Ten hours traveled back Forty-three years just to read Thirty names on thin paper Three had died Fifteen minutes apart Two minutes to say all Thirty including those Three names he drinks to forget. Lori Widmer is a veteran writer and editor whose articles have appeared in numerous trade and consumer magazines. She lives in the Valley Forge area and blogs regularly at www.poetunderconstruction.com and www.wordsonpageblog.com.

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refugees receive equal education and protection from the remaining members of the Shining Path. Proud Mother: Births the first female Dalai Lama. Company Director: Runs a Caribbean fusion dance flash mob whose biggest fans happen to be in Southern France. Cuban Diplomat: Establishes sustainable fair trade between the U.S. and Cuba without allowing U.S. companies to change or control the aesthetic or nature of Cuban culture/traditions. nobody cares. When I informed my Russian boss that I had asked Joe, from maintenance, to come and fix it. I have enclosed my résumé for your review. Should you need more information, I will be happy to provide it. You may reach me on my cell phone, my ex’s cell (but we’re still cool), or inbox me via Facebook at KeepingItReal (all one word), or just follow me on Twitter at #OccupyingSpaceFromTheOuternet. I could see she thought I was crazy. She even laughed a little and said, “Oh, dushka, you didn’t need to do that.” But it is exactly what I needed. Sincerely, The dripping is driving me mad; it’s either apathy, insanity or unemployment. The key to my office is not to jingle.

Noel Straight teaches creative writing, along with other English courses, at Temple University’s Intensive English Language Program and, at night, she offers Spanish classes through Fluent City. In her free time, Noel is working on a hybrid collection of short stories/poetry and planning her next trip to Cuba. Artist grants to support her writing in Cuba are highly encouraged (wink, wink). Some of Noel’s work can be found on flashfiction.net and, forthcoming, in the Fall 2014 Issue of the Schuylkill Valley Journal.

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