by Joseph A. Miller
Wildfire
For the longest time we used to think space was a big black hole filled up with sparkly emptiness. Now, we know it’s blind as a bat. You can have good luck, but eventually it runs out, so yesterday, I did some invisible housework; I changed all the lightbulbs and swept the ceiling. Then, like a pirate, I paid myself in gold doubloons. It made me miss the good old days, especially the hobnail boots.
Say, what kind of skin do you prefer? Same here, although I’m kind of afraid to wear mine out of the house. Like they say in the computer industry, devil in, devil out. That’s what I love most about charts and graphs. Naturally, I enjoy making my own razor blades. It’s an innocent enough hobby, although soon I’ll be turning a new leaf. It’s never too late to get started on something you really love.
By the way, do you hear that crackling and sizzling? No, that crackling and sizzling, over there, where the fingers of flame reach up to tickle the belly of heaven. I could have sworn Satan promised that this time, at least, it would be a controlled burn. Must be part of his new wellness program—you know, a bubble bath of combustion and the red, blistering scent of perfectly innocent flesh. I find that a little of that, goes an awfully long way.
Brad Rose was born and raised in Los Angeles, and lives in Boston. He is the author of five collections of poetry and flash fiction: Lucky Animals, No. Wait. I Can Explain, Pink X-Ray, de/tonations, and Momentary Turbulence. His poetry collection WordInEdgeWise, is forthcoming in late 2024. Eight times nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and three times nominated for the Best of the Net Anthology, Brad’s poetry and fiction have appeared in, The American Journal of Poetry, The Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Review, New York Quarterly, Lunch Ticket, Puerto del Sol, Clockhouse, Folio, Best Microfiction (2019), Action Spectacle, Right Hand Pointing, and other journals and anthologies. His website is www.bradrosepoetry.com https://www.facebook.com/bradrosepoetry/ https://soundcloud.com/bradrose1https://twitter.com/LolaluvsRichard https://substack.com/profile/15195638-brad-rosehttps://www.threads.net/@moomoocamus.
Joseph A. Miller is an Associate Professor of Art at S.U.N.Y. Buffalo State, where he has taught drawing and painting since 1997. Miller’s work is in numerous public and private collections, and has been shown internationally in Finland, China, Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as across the United States, from Berkeley, California to Cambridge, Massachusetts. His work is represented by Art Dialogue Gallery in Buffalo, NY and West End Gallery in Corning, NY. Artist Website: https://artdesign.buffalostate.edu/directory/joseph-miller.