Kiku in the Cafe – from Heart Medicine Bones

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Kiku knew well how to hide in plain sight. She was not interested in drawing men’s attention, so she figured that she just did not emit the pheromones or what have you that made men swarm. Yet appreciative glances bounced off her often as she traveled through her days. She dressed sharply to please herself and to live up to her own standards of order and beauty. This meant clean lines for work, no-nonsense structures in black, white, and strong colors that went ‘zing’. A stark boldness that went with her exacting nature. In her off-hours, Kiku was a little softer, more flowing and casual. Her favorite outfits were designed by a woman who once worked in a parachute factory and carried forward the soft seams and structure. She was lucky to look much younger than her years, despite her silvering hair. She enjoyed when her female friends complimented her outfits, especially Joni with her painter’s eye or Cassandra, who always could name the mood of an outfit. But it shocked Kiku whenever a man would approach her. She never expected it. Continue reading

Home Again – from Heart Medicine Bones

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Josh will never go back to South Philly again. He will never again have espresso and crunchy hazelnut biscotti with old Mrs. Primanti. He will never again show Bill Fisk at the camera shop his latest black and white photographs, as he did as a kid. He will never again order a pepper cheese steak with provolone at Pat’s to refresh his local boy accent. He will never again hear the tarantella at Termini Brothers.

He will never again feel the crumbling in his gut as he counts how many tiny front yards feature Mary on a Half Shell. The greater the display outside a worn out row house, the greater the need for Mary’s divine protection for those living inside. He will never again look for the trace of bloodstains on St. Nick’s playground, where he threw his first punch defending his young boy self for not having a Catholic first name.

He will never again see his parents.

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