The Oval, The Oval

Transcription

1 Th Ova Voum 2 Issu 1 Artic Th Ova, 2009 Lt us know how accss to this documnt bnfits you. Foow this and additiona works at: Part of th Crativ Writing Commons Rcommndd Citation (2009) "Th Ova, 2009," Th Ova: Vo. 2 : Iss. 1, Artic 1. Avaiab at: This Fu Voum is brought to you for fr and opn accss by SchoarWorks at Univrsity of Montana. It has bn accptd for incusion in Th Ova by an authorizd ditor of SchoarWorks at Univrsity of Montana. For mor information, pas contact schoarworks@mso.umt.du.

2 Vo u m 1 Voum II

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5 Th Ova Th Univrsity of Montana Voum II 2009

6 Ova is a itrary magazin pubishd annuay by th Associatd Studnts of th Univrsity of Montana (ASUM), th Maurn and Mik Mansfid Library, and th Univrsity of Montana Dpartmnt of Crativ Writing. Each voum is printd with vgtab ink on rcycd papr by th Univrsity of Montana Printing & Graphics. Subscriptions ar avaiab through PayPa and th Ova wbsit for $8 pr yar or $16 for two yars. Ova accpts ctronic submissions of fiction, nonfiction, potry, and visua art from Sptmbr 1 through Fbruary 28. Ony prviousy unpubishd work by currnty nrod undrgraduats is accptd. For fu guidins and a othr corrspondnc, visit th Ova wbsit. Ova is indxd in th Counci of Litrary Magazins and Prsss (CLMP) Litrary Prss and Magazin Dirctory and NwPags.com s indx of Litrary Magazins. Ova Studnt Organization Suit Th Univrsity of Montana Missoua, Montana ditor@ovamag.com Copyright 2009 Th Ova Magazin. ISBN Rights rvrt to th author upon pubication.

7 Dar radr, Ova is namd aftr Th Univrsity of Montana promnad whr studnts com togthr with qua rprsntation for thir idoogis and crativity and hav fun. Lik th ocation for which it is namd, our goa is to provid a continuing nxus point and springboard for undrgraduat writrs and artists wishing to shar thir craft with othrs. This is no asy task. Th at John Updik said, Writrs tak words sriousy - prhaps th ast profssiona cass that dos - and thy strugg to str thir own through th crosswinds of mdding ditors and carss typsttrs and obtus and mavont rviwrs into th ap of th ida radr. 1 It is my wish that you too can xprinc th journy of ths young artists, authors, and pots who hav navigatd thir work through th hazards of pubishing and sti hav ntir words ft to xpor. Thanks to vryon who submittd to us for th opportunity to shar your work with th word. Spcia thanks to my ditors and our tantd board mmbrs. I wish you a th bst in th yars to com. To Robrt, our Facuty Advisor, and Ryan Fish, th Founding Editor, thank you from th ntir staff. 2 This pubication woud not b possib if not for your hard work. Finay, Ova woud ik to thank vryon who guidd and assistd us aong th way: Su Samson, Dan Bonni An, Kathy Hndricks, Maran Rinhart, Casy Chars, Pragta Sharma, Kn Pric, Caro Hays, Moy Coins, Josh Ptrs- McBrid, Tonya Smith, Craig Lsy, Lori Evans-Lynn, Aspn Torrz, and Abi Haand. Rgards, Andy Smith Editor 1 Th Nw York Tims (17 August 1986) 2 Ryan Lucas, ngctd from 08 staff crdits

8 Editor Assistant Editor Managing Editor Layout & Dsign Editor Potry Editor Potry Board Pros Editors Pros Board Facuty Advisor Andy Smith Tyr Doan Samantha Stvn E. Louis Larson Jssica Orr Troy Caihan Ryan Fish Liy Jaski Jssica Johnston Cassi March Hay Maywski Jnnifr Turk Zack Whr Jss DLong Dani Mot Morgann Armstrong Crysta Corrigan Amanda Eggrt David Jnsn Sam Luikns Kati Pfazgraff Chris Rosvar Nora Ryan Erin Schmi Brittany Strissguth Ax Thim Robrt Stubbfid

9 Tab of Contnts: Photography and Visua Art Ashy Loyning Untitd... Covr Immigrants...18 Mari Garrison Not Vnic but Bangkok Furca d a Buddha...48 Wrckag, Rock Springs, Wyoming...66 Carmin Lighton Schooboy, Namibia...34 Boys in a Fig Tr, Namibia Schoogir and hr hous, Namibia Chsy Von Ehrnkrook Th Tr...37 Patrick Gi Boombox City...38 I ndustris Eys That Do Not S...41 Swating Shos...40 Potry Ross Robbins Prsistnc of Mmory...16 Th Hunt Lo Brtt Mmoria Day Kat Op brif mditations on an mpty pan of gass...29 th ngation of bing...30 quit...31 [ ]...32 Harrison Stvns Our Living and Sping...43 Th Bubird s Asctic...45 Ryan Landofi Eary Morning Intrud Litmus Robrt S. Whid

10 Lik Evry Boy th Fir...51 Constations...52 Lindsy App Night on th Road...53 Bn Prz Pru or Park City...54 Maurn McKnzi Antarctic Ausions...55 Brant Cbua Nightstandoff...56 Axandra Sugiri Th Wind...63 Lisa Tbrg Shard...64 Matt Farmr For Cassi Spaking Of...68 Od Rag Mountain...28 Mark Bowrs Visiting Grandparnts...69 Randy Diday Badands...71 I Don t Car to Spak of Anything at A...73 Randy St. Cair Can Cut...75 Fiction Laura Pric St If God Asks...7 Joshua Pottr Cbration...20 Lna Via Cur...57 Non-Fiction Amanda Eggrt Untitd...42 Madison Unsworth Tnsion in Barbi Word...65

11 Miriam shaks hr had whn sh picks up Isra from schoo. Sh dosn t say anything. Just shaks hr had ra sow ik th first tim David cad and said h woudn t b coming hom for th night. Thy driv down th wid suburban strts. Fa has ft most of th trs spindy and nakd, but a fw cing to thir avs as if it is a fight thy can win. A coudss day, but th sky sti ooks mor gry than bu. At hom Miriam puts Isra in th back yard and ocks th door bhind him. H waks outsid. Suprdog icks his chk and tris to knock him down by driving his had into th boy s strnum. But Suprdog bors asiy and soon nough h is in th cornr digging furiousy. Isra pacs th yard. Brown and yow avs covr th ground, rotting. Th air is thick and midwy, not assauting nough for Isra to pug his nos, but not swt nough for him to brath dpy. H turns on th hos and foods th fowrbd. Thn h puts his thumb ovr th nd and tris to spray Suprdog. It won t rach. Haring footstps, Isra runs to th fnc. Mayb it s Ei. H puts his fac up against th wood, pring through a crack. Mr. Conway waks by, sowy, carrying his purp ash. Sophi did ovr a yar ago, but h sti waks vry day, carrying hr ash ik sh has run just out of viw. Sh was svntn whn sh did and draggd hr back gs most of th tim. Suprdog trid to pay with hr onc, but sh just ay down and Mr. Conway had to pick up hr hips bfor sh woud mov again. Isra watchs th od man wak out of sight and thn sits on th stp waiting for somthing to happn. Aftr what sms ik forvr h hars footstps. This tim thy ar quick. H runs back to th fnc. H is carfu not to rub his fac against th wood, rmmbring th tim h struggd with Ei for th widst crack in th fnc to watch a tow truck hau away th car that had run into th odst tr on th bock. H wound up with a spintr in his chk and missd th who thing. Instad Miriam dug twzrs into his skin for a haf an hour. By thn th ony thing ft to s was th scar on th tr, which turnd out to b fata. Isra dosn t s anyon. H hars th back door swing opn. Izzy, you out hr? 7 a u ra. p ri c ẹ s t Voum II

12 8 a u ra. p ri c ẹ s t Isra runs around th cornr to s his brothr, Ei, standing on th top stp, sti in his schoo coths. His khakis ar too ong and bunchd up around his anks. A big yamuka is cippd to his had. His navy bu poo has somthing writtn in th uppr right hand cornr that Isra can t dciphr. What d you do? Ei asks I hit Drk Harmon in th had, Isra says, unsur if h shoud b proud. With what? My backpack. A rock. A rock in my backpack. Did it bd a ot? Yah, h got it a ovr his shirt and drippd it a th way down th ha, Isra says. Dos Mom ook mad? Mom aways ooks mad whn sh s cooking. Ei sais off th top stp and wraps Isra in a hadock. H rubs his knucks back and forth on Isra s scap. Isra wriggs away. Across th yard Suprdog barks onc and whins. Th boys turn to s a squirr imp in his mouth. H ays it down gnty and stars at it unti it tris to run and thn h scoops it into his jaws, carris it around and puts it down again. Th squirr imps away and Suprdog pouncs. Ei runs ovr and grabs th dog around th nck whi th squirr is in th avs. Its g th ony thing moving, pdaing som imaginary bicyc. Gt th shov, Ei ys. Why? W hav to put it out of its misry. Suprdog yps and struggs against th boy s grip. Isra runs around th sid of th hous and rturns with th shov. Now hit it ray hard, Ei says. Isra ooks at th cratur. Its gs ar in th air, its mouth opn, and h can s its two ong front tth. Th squirr is scraming, a scram that Isra can f ik a nd on th soft part of his had. Ki it. Isra raiss th shov and brings it down with a thud. Onc mor, to mak sur. H dos it again, cosing his ys as th spad coms down. Suprdog whins. Go put it in th trash. Isra picks it up and carris it to th big bu trashcan. Th squirr ooks th sam dad as it did aiv, xcpt bood has spd out in a thin in around its nos and down toward its mouth. Ova Magazin

13 Round back ys bug out of its had. I m sorry, Isra whisprs, thn shivrs as h drops th carcass in with ystrday s scraps. Onion soup. Grn bans. And toast. Isra braths through his mouth. H pushs th bow to his ft. Dad, guss what. I kid a squirr today. It s th first night David s bn hom for dinnr in four days. Miriam bary ooks at him. I had to put it out of its mystry, Isra says. David smis a wak and apoogtic smi at his youngst son. Th phon rings. Evryon quits, waiting for th car ID to rcit th nam. Miriam got th dvic so phon cas woudn t ruin dinnr. This way thy know if it is worth gtting up. Hart-son, Sa-y. Miriam ts out an angry sigh. You nd to t your mom to stop caing during dinnr. David coss his ys ik h is trying to rmmbr somthing. Hart-son, Sa-y. Just bcaus you don t tak to your mom dosn t man sh can ca whi w r trying to at. Th ringing stops. Mayb you shoud giv hr your work numbr, Miriam says. David stars at hr and ts his ips fa opn ik mayb h wi say somthing, but nothing coms. W arnd about Abraham and Isaac at schoo today, Ei says. David turns towards his son. Isra stars at th brown coudy iquid in his bow and ooks ik h might cry. Did you know God askd Abraham to ki his son? H askd him to ki Isaac, just to s if h woud. Isra ooks up from his food. And Abraham was going to. H took Isaac up to this mountain, put him on a rock and just as h was about to swing God tod him h didn t hav to. H was going to ki him with a shov? Isra asks. No. H had this big knif, ik th ons thy sacrificd ambs with. Isra s ys gt big. Th phon rings, but Ei just taks oudr. God stoppd him at th ast scond. Right bfor h cut his had off. Hart-son, Sa-y. Miriam cnchs hr jaw and gars at hr husband. 9 a u ra. p ri c ẹ s t Voum II

14 10 a u ra. p ri c ẹ s t Just think. What if God had bn a scond at? Hart-son, Sa-y. What if Abraham kid Isaac and God was ik, oh, you didn t hav to do that? Ei says. What if Abraham had said h woudn t do it? Isra asks. I don t know. Mayb God woud hav kid him. Mayb God woudn t hav t him b Jwish, Ei says. Evryon is quit for a momnt. Is somthing wrong with th food? Miriam asks hr husband. I m not hungry. M nithr, Isra adds. Ei surps happiy from his spoon. You shoud at a itt somthing anyway, Miriam says to both of thm. Isra ats th ast bit of his toast and stars at th rst of th food. H puts his had on th tab. I can t. Don t b chidish, Miriam says. I hat onion soup too, David says and ans his had cos in to Isra. And Grn bans. Mayb if you cam hom for dinnr mor oftn w coud hav somthing you ik. David s had is amost ying on th tab. And I had to pick your son up from schoo today bcaus h hit a boy in th had with a rock. I didn t know it was in thr, Isra says. Miriam ros hr ys. David nods to his son. Mayb if you wr around a itt mor Ei gts up, ik h is an actor that had just bn cud to go offstag. Isra foows. Miriam dosn t tak hr ys off David. I guss sinc Dad won t at, th kids don t hav to. Miriam throws hr arms in th air. Isra and Ei sit in thir room, sincd by thir parnt s muffd voics. Is that story tru? Isra asks, onc th ony sound coming from downstairs is dishs against th mta sink. What story? Th on about Abraham. It s in th Torah. David coms into th boys room to tuck thm in. Is Mom ray mad? Isra asks. I v bn working too much. Thr is a ong, havy sinc. Both th boys star at thir fathr. Ova Magazin

15 Mayb I b hom again tomorrow. Thy a know it wi b at ast thr days. David tucks Ei in first, ik aways. H sits on th dg of th bd and ooks at his vn-yar od. I m doing a rport on th brontosaurus, Ei says and hods th book h is rading out to his dad. Why th brontosaurus? H ony ats pants. H was th nicst dinosaur, vn though h was so big. David ooks at th picturs of th cratur, and back at his son. Thn h kisss Ei on th forhad and pus th bankts up to his chst. Isra s bd is in th opposit cornr of th room. David sits down. How you doing, Bud? I ray didn t know th rock was in thr. I thought it was mpty. I thought I was hitting him with an mpty backpack. I swar. David smis and puts his havy hand on th boy s shoudr. Thy sit in sinc for a momnt. Dad? Yah? If God askd you to, woud you ki m? David s yids droop and amost cos. God woud nvr ask m to ki you. David kisss Isra s forhad and pus th shts up to his chst. Nvr. H gts up to av. But what if h did? Isra asks. David stars into his son s pading ys. Goodnight guys, I ov you. H switchs off th ight and coss th door bhind him. Isra stays awak unti h ss hadights snd shadows dancing across th ciing, and hars his dad s car pu away. 11 a u ra. p ri c ẹ s t Isra isn t aowd to go to schoo th nxt day. A on-day suspnsion, th principa dcidd. H ats brakfast with Ei, bfor h gos to schoo. Ei ts him try on th yamuka. It ooks too big on his had, but h iks th way it fs. Mom says I m going to this schoo whn I turn tn, Isra says, posing in front of th mirror, trying to ook Jwish. Thn w can wak to schoo togthr. You know, you hav to arn a who nw aphabt, Ei says. I arady know th aphabt. You hav to arn a diffrnt on, th Hbrw aphabt. Ei points to th symbos on his shirt. S, this is Hbrw. Voum II

16 12 a u ra. p ri c ẹ s t What dos that say? Yashira. What dos that man? It s th nam of th schoo. Say somthing s in Hbrw. Shaom. That s an asy on. I know that. But I can rad it in Hbrw. Can you writ it? Yah. Ei writs it sowy on a napkin. I can rad it, Isra says, it says shaom. That s chating. Ei taks th yamuka from Isra s had and cips it in his hair. H punchs Isra in th arm. By, Izzy. H grabs his backpack and rushs out th door. Isra taks th napkin to his room and practics writing th word. Now h knows how to rad and writ Hbrw. Shaom, h says aoud. H fips through th dinosaur book h sto from Ei s backpack. H iks th stgosaurus th most. Miriam spnds amost a day in bd, ooking for a job. Sh s bn at it for thr and haf months now. Isra passs hr room on th way downstairs. Th TV is on too oud. H prs through th doorway. Th nwspapr, sti in its bu pastic bag, is on th foor nxt to th bd. Isra stands on his tos and ss Miriam s stringy hair poking out of th top of th bankt. H kicks th doorfram, but his mothr dosn t mov. Isra bors by noon, rady for Ei to com hom. H gos to th backyard. H throws th ba for Suprdog, but th dog won t ftch. Rmmbring ystrday, h gos around th cornr of th hous to th big bu trashcan. H wondrs if th squirr is sti in thr, if h ray kid it, if it is ray dad. H fips th id and thr it is, gs sticking in th air, mouth opn, bood drid around its triang nos. H picks it up by a front paw and fings it into th yard. Suprdog runs ovr, icks it a fw tims and tris to nudg it back to if. It s dad. Isra says to th dog. I kid it. H dosn t want to ook at it anymor so h grabs it by that sam front g and fings it ovr th fnc, into th nighbor s yard. Thn h runs insid and sams th door. Ei gts hom at four, but h has a ot of homwork bcaus h ft his dinosaur book at hom. Isra sits with him at th kitchn tab trying to convinc his brothr that th stgosaurus is bttr than th brontosaurus. Look at its coo spiks. Ova Magazin

17 Thy r not that coo. And th stgosaurus has two brains; th brontosaurus ony has a on tiny on. How do you know that? I rad it in your book. Ei sugs Isra in th bicp. Don t sta stuff out of my backpack. Miriam gts up at svn and maks th boys spaghtti with marinara. Sh sts two pats in front of thm and gos back upstairs without saying anything. Dos dad sti iv hr? Isra asks his brothr. I don t know. Isra practics writing Shaom a fw mor tims bfor bd. Whn Isra waks hom from th bus stop, h finds his dad s car in th drivway. Insid, Ei is at th kitchn tab, rading. Whr s Dad? H s upstairs, Ei says without ooking up. H dosn t iv hr anymor. What? H s packing. H s moving out for ra. Isra waks to th bottom of th stairs. I m going up, h whisprs to his brothr. Ei fips a pag of th dinosaur book. Isra cimbs up th carpt staircas sowy. H tris to stady his brathing. Onc h gts to th top stp h crouchs down and prs around th cornr. H ooks into his parnts bdroom. Miriam is in bd wping softy. David packs. I m sorry, David says to th hap of woman in bd. H sighs haviy. A thousand shoud gt you through th rst of th month. Isra watchs his fathr count out th mony and st it on th drssr. Lt m gt sttd and thn w figur stuff out with th boys. David ans down to zip up th suitcas, fu of a th coths h nvr wars. It is a that was ft in th cost. Isra craws down th stairs. H pus a chair up nxt to Ei. You r right; h s packing. I know, Ei says. Do you think h s sad? I don t know. Ei fips th pag. Mom s sad, Isra says. Sh s crying. Mom cris a th tim. Thy ook at th picturs of th ptrodacty. David appars at th bottom of th stairs, suitcas grippd in his ft hand. So you r moving out for ra? Ei says. 13 a u ra. p ri c ẹ s t Voum II

18 14 a u ra. p ri c ẹ s t I was thinking w coud ordr pizza and watch a movi bfor I go. Whr ar you going? Isra asks. I m going to iv in an apartmnt cos to my offic. David stars into th ys of his youngst son. H swaows hard. Why? Isra asks. H won t tak his gaz off his fathr. W sti s ach othr a th tim, David ooks from Isra to Ei and back. Isra waits for an answr. His mouth is partway opn, and his had tits back to ook David in th fac. David bgins to say somthing but is cut off in th first brath. What kind of pizza ar w going to gt? Ei aks. Isra gts anchovis, Ei says as h poks th air around Isra s midsction. And thn w hav to watch Bauty and th Bast. Isra cutchs his chst. Noooooo, h ys ik it woud b wors than dath. Not Bauty and th Bast. David smis at Ei. H sts down th suitcas. Thy ordr a arg chs pizza and rnt Jurassic Park from th Bockbustr on Univrsity. Evry tim a nw dinosaur coms on scrn th boys find it in th book and rcit facts about it. That s a tricratops, Ei ys. It chargd its nmis with its horns. And it ony ats pant, Isra adds. Ei put his had down and rams it into th sid of Isra s arm. Lik that. Ow, Isra ys. His pizza fas chs-sid down onto th carpt. Just think how bad it woud hav hurt if I had thr hug horns. David picks up th pizza and rubs his sho back and forth on th dirty carpt. H throws th pic away and puts th book on th countr. By th nd of th movi a thr agr that raptors ar th coost dinosaur. And for a whi vrything fs amost norma. But th suitcas is sti at th bottom of th stairs and thy pass it on th way to go to bd. Whn th boys ar tuckd in, David sits down nxt to Ei. Ei hands th dinosaur book to his dad, opn to th pag on raptors. I think I m going to do my projct on thm. What about th brontosaurus? Mayb h s too nic. David finchs. H kisss Ei on th forhad, and gts up. That was a ray coo movi, Isra says as David sits on th dg of th bd. Ova Magazin

19 Yah it was. David ooks into his son s big brown ys. I ov you, kiddo. H stands up to av. Dad? Isra asks. Yah? If God askd you to stay, woud you? David hangs his had. Good night, guys. I ov you. H switchs off th ight and coss th door bhind him. Isra stars at th ciing. H shivrs, but isn t cod. H hops David wi wak back in, unpack. H hops th car dosn t start. Sowy, h gts out of bd and waks to th window. Laning his forhad against th cod gass, h stars down at th drivway. H ss xhaust forming in th air. Th Maxima pus away. Isra watchs it coast down th strt, past th trs from which th strongst avs hav droppd to rot with th rst. And h wondrs why God woud vr ask a dad to ki his son. And h wondrs if God wi ask anything vr again. 15 a u ra. p ri c ẹ s t Voum II

20 Th Prsistnc of Mmory Whn arir th nd bnt and thn straightnd sharpnd on dnim divrd a bow 16 r o s ṣ r o bb i n s Th syring in my vin ookd up baring his fangs with a chuck, a snr, said You r a min now, junky. Hroin draining into my rd (so rd) vin Lik coff suckd up and shot into a worm. So ys, thn to dramtim and th swt-sming shot soothing th crbrum My brains and bas bastd With pur poppy cum and th visions a pouring A syringfu of drams suckd up by my sku And payd on fast forward Ti th sights fw so fast that Th cocks wr a mting and I had bcom as on outsid of tim. Ova Magazin

21 Th Hunt Th dying hart throbs to connct air to ips as th imping dr, gutshot, maks hr way from gn To drift as my aching mind. Snow rd as a backbird s wing, Th do gos down a swift ras of air from ungs as a but brings quick cosur in th wood. Wintr and a tiny dath, though caamitous to fawn rmmbr, now, that Man and Bast must shar th Earth and Sun. Th riotous spin of axis and bood, Hish gathring of wood and food, Dspit th cacophonous din of man This if is somtims sti and good. 17 r o s ṣ r o bb i n s Voum II

22 Ova Magazin Immigrants ashy.oyning

23 Mmoria Day j a th movis on tv today ar about war a sizs guns cannons famthrowrs (you know a th ncssary fowrs fags and trappings) ystrday waking th trai i mt a man who forgot it was monday usd to b cad dcoration day buts parads dad 19 ọ b r t t how com I didn t think of that Voum II

24 20 j o s hu ạ p ot t r It was Hom who introducd m to Oivia. Oivia was arady in ov with him, but Hom coudn t ov anyon and ony trid with othr mn. It didn t tak ong for m to fa in ov with hr. Evn though it took som tim for hr to ov m back. It didn t tak ong for m to forgt th od group from cog and wiingy admit its nd, aving thos mmoris in crats to gathr midw in th spar bdroom. That was th unspokn agrmnt. Whn it ndd, and vryon knw it woud, w woud just wak away. Forvr was nvr in any of our vocabuary. Pach xpatriatd to Paris, Grny was sicky thin and addictd to sping pis and Miranda had simpy disappard. I sti tak to Brady now and again. H s dating th mod h ss cocain too and taching physics at a Jsuit high schoo in San Digo. H tod m a whi back that Hom was apparnty back in th cost and marrid. With kids. W wr drifting at atitud in an ovrsizd DC-10 whn Oivia wok up. I was studying th picturs in my Roing Ston and icking th ast tast of br from my cup. W r sti in th air? sh askd. You wrn t asp for that ong, I said. During hr nap, I saw hr ys darting around bhind thir ids and I wondrd what sh was ooking for. I coud s your ys moving around. No on can sp on a pan. Sh hadn t bn sping w for a whi. Sh usd to sp with a smi, and somtims I d wak mysf up just to s it. Sh had a tragic fac, naturay and ffortssy suntannd. Sh kpt it tight whn sh spt now, ik somthing in hr drams had ft hr with an impossib rsponsibiity. Hav a drink, thn. Mayb it hp. I said. Avi. Th baby. I m sur a itt acoho at th ary stags of fta dvopmnt won t hurt, I said. Sh d ony bn prgnant for six wks and I didn t ray know anything about th itt gob growing insid hr. I ft guity; it wasn t vn supposd to hav happnd. W wrn t marrid, but it just didn t sm right to gt rid of th baby. W nvr mad up our minds and now I coud s a tiny ump and w both knw it was too at. Somtims I doubt what kind of fathr you r going to b. I wantd to b a good fathr. Mayb if I coud rais a kid right, thr woud b at ast on optimistic human bing in th word. I m not going to b a pdophi, at ast, I said. W, I quit smoking, sh said. Ova Magazin

25 I b a good fathr, I said, but I coud t vryon around us was gtting uncomfortab with th convrsation. W wr anding whn sh wok up again. It was a ong fight, but w ft ary and th city was pa and indistinguishab as w owrd into a tim that was nithr vning nor aftrnoon. Dos it f wird coming back? I askd Oivia. It fs right. I f out of pac. Lik vryon in th city is ooking at m and rcognizs m and wondrs whr I v bn. Lik coming hom, sh said. I ookd at hr just in tim to catch a spy smi fad from hr ys. I m gad you r happy to b hr, I said. Ar you not? sh askd. I m happy whrvr you ar, I said. I coud nvr t if sh was roing hr ys at m. It s th truth, I rassurd hr. I m sur, Avi. And you kp m rootd in th word. It s stabiizing. Stabiizing? Stabiity, Avi. You r stab. Stab, I thought. Soid. Rootd. I coudn t mak th word sound good. You bong, I said. To you, sh answrd, and t th tiny muscs in hr ips pu, abord and ungracfuy at on cornr of hr mouth. But hr ys did nothing. W got th invitation to Hom s fortith a fw wks ago. It was addrssd to m and I wondrd what kind of ngths his wif wnt through to find my nam and numbr, probaby writtn on som tiny yow post-it and shovd into th pags of a book just-in-cas, and knw that Hom must hav gottn rid of Oivia s atogthr. I wondrd who s h d gottn rid of. I wondr if h s gaind wight or anything, sh said aftr sh saw th invitation hiddn in my dsk. I man, not ik h woud t himsf. H d put a gun in his mouth first, sh sad. Hom s probaby diffrnt, I said. Hom is th on prson who woudn t chang. Not ik Pach or Grny, thy ost thir fun, thir ddication. I don t think it s a mattr of ddication, I said. H was aways ddicatd to, sh stoppd sh didn t man fun, Hom was biggr than fun, h was a symbo to hr, to a of us, of somthing mor if, sh said. And I thought sh was right. H s got a wif now. Brady said h has kids. H woud nvr t if gt th bttr of him, sh said. You r prgnant, I said, what dos that say about our if? It says, sh said btwn th ins of th invitation sh was rrading, w r going to this party. 21 j o s hu ạ p ot t r Voum II

26 22 j o s hu ạ p ot t r H probaby won t vn want us thr, I said, but Oivia had arady put th invitation on th rfrigrator and markd th dat on our candar. I rntd but I tod hr that w woud fy in th day of th party, mak an apparanc and fy back th nxt morning. Sh squad and t hr fists wav in front of hr cnchd ys. It was th squa I ovd, th way Oivia usd to os contro of vrything in and outsid of hr whn sh was happy. W woud av pacs ary so w coud mak ov on a couch, biting ach othr s ips so w didn t mak too much nois. It was a good tim to b poor, to hav no rsponsibiitis othr than a fw casss and gtting aid. Hom was grat at it. W d go to his nightcubs, pacs ik Th Manho and Erctor St s. Evryon woud gt drunk and augh at th mn Hom woud bring hom, covrd in gittr but amost no coths. Hom rishd th attntion and mad his faws handsom, so h coud contro how pop saw him. His ary graying hair and his coy, firty shoudrs wr irrsistib to most mn and a womn. It didn t bothr m that Oivia ookd at him, bcaus vryon did. It didn t bothr m that sh was in ov with him, bcaus vryon was. No on was ooking for prmannc and whn w stoppd aughing at Hom, h found othr pop who did. Oivia wantd to cing to Hom, but no mattr how hard sh trid, h saw ony od novty whr I saw rfrshing idiosyncrasy. Our hot room was fiftn minuts from Hom s apartmnt. Insid, I coud s Oivia in th mirror, standing in th bathroom, hr had surrndrd into hr shoudr as sh put on arrings I hadn t sn bfor. Sh firtd with hrsf and bamd at th mirror with impish animation, squirming in a pink drss that f a ovr hr curvs. Who ar you gtting a drssd up for, bautifu? I askd. I havn t ookd bautifu in a vry ong tim, sh said. You v ookd bautifu sinc bfor you wr born. If ony this ump wr ithr obviousy a baby, or not thr at a. It just ooks ik by fat now. But I know it s our bautifu baby and it s sxy. And it was. Oivia in pink, sparking from th ars, rd in th ips, was somhow dragging m insid hr in a way I hadn t ft sinc I usd to cumsiy ook for th button nar hr bt with shaky fingrs. I pud hr toward m as sh wakd by and sh thrw hr pam into my shoudrs, ocking both arms at hr bows. Now? Ys, now. You r stunning. Why ar you so uncontroab? So dibraty inconsistnt? I havn t sn anyon as bautifu as you ook right now, I said. Ova Magazin

27 You r going to nd to b stab for th baby, Avi. I wi. Now ift your drss so I can s you. W r at. Sh swung hr purs onto hr shoudr and dazzd m as sh foatd toward th door. It was my pants, I thought. Sh said that pats wr not fattring on m. I rod up my svs ik I was dbonair, bcaus I thought sh ikd it whn I got my hands dirty. I foowd hr out of th door and into th vator. Sh had cad down to th obby whi I was in th showr and a taxi was arady waiting. W hav no ida what Hom is ik, now. W hav no ida if anyon s w know wi vn b thr, I said. Hom is xacty th sam. H is a rock, sh said. H s a gay man with a wif and kids. Sh poppd a sigh from hr tongu. With th sound of a kiss and thn th abord xha. Th buiding ascndd into th dark whr I ost it in th stars. It smd to frown at m and I frownd back. Nothing about it rmindd m of Hom and I ookd at Oivia thr stps ahad of m, hs cicking. It was ony whn th apartmnts Oivia and I had ivd in wr fid with pop that thy vr ft ik a hom. Th crats w usd as sats and th couchs that smd ik asphat wr part of an asthtic. A romantic currnt ony comptd whn it was too crowdd to raiz how poor and dirty w wr, whn th music was too oud and w wr a too drunk to s how sow w wr moving. Thn th quit th awfu and disorinting quit swpt through and ft Oivia and m with ach othr, so w foowd th houss out of downtown, as thy sprad ik brad crumbs furthr and furthr away from whr w cam. Hom s apartmnt, I knw, woud not ook ik th od on-room, onbaths w had wandrd through. It had a famiy, it was a hom and I didn t car to s it. Min was fin nough. It had a win car in th basmnt, an upright piano in th iving room and a tab Oivia kpt st just in cas th nighbors stoppd by. That was a Hom. It was our hom. It was not what w woud find on th thirty-scond foor of this buiding. As it turnd out, Hom s apartmnt covrd th ntir top foor and had a viw ony mony can buy. It xtndd for mis, it smd, in a sa of hardwood and gass that spit th ight back at you in crystain hus. Th books had nvr bn pud off th shvs and th furnitur, which coudn t possiby b found in any stor, had nvr bn sat in. Mor than a hundrd pop wr scattrd throughout what smd ik a pag torn from th intrior dcorating txt book. I had troub discrning facs among th razor suits, hairspray, starch, and stingingy whit tth. I ookd at th invitation on mor tim. It said nothing about this bing a back ti vnt. I gancd at Oivia, th coor in hr drss and on hr ips scraming in th Voum II 23 j o s hu ạ p ot t r

28 24 j o s hu ạ p ot t r murmuring room, and down at my oiv Dockrs and fadd brown shos. I stoppd mysf from waking backwards out th door. A woman appard from around a cornr and grtd us through a practicd smi. You must b Hom s frinds. Ys, Oivia said, from cog. I noddd and waitd for somthing to rupt. Th woman s ovrraching smi ookd prmannt and painfu. You must b Hom s wif, Oivia said. Ys, you man Homstad, of cours. Homstad? Oivia askd. Why ys. Homstad. Not Hom? I twistd my fac toward Oivia and trid to fandang my ybrows into an ncouraging pos, but I think it ookd mor ik I was having a strok, bcaus Oivia quicky divrtd hr star back at th statu in front of us. Homstad and I hav bn marrid for ight yars now. Eight yars, Oivia rpatd. I didn t know Hom had it in him. Indd, th woman said, I m Missy. I m Oivia and this is my frind Avi, sh motiond with hr had. Hr hands rod and rasd th hm of hr drss. W r going to hav a baby, I said. Missy noddd. Oivia sighd and I think I amost crid. Homstad wi b arriving shorty, sh said. Thn Oivia and I wr ft to sort through th wrckag. It was sint whi w trid to unfrz oursvs from our positions nar th door. It kpt rpating itsf in my had, and vrything in th room ft havir. I was, mayb, nintn th ast tim Oivia and I wr frinds. I watchd hr ys fa to th ground and I trid to catch thm, but I ony put my hand on hr shoudr and ushrd hr, as bravy as I coud, into th room. W kpt to oursvs for anothr twnty minuts. W at shrimp and sushi. I cawd my way through gasss of champagn as Oivia shiftd hr wight back and forth. I said nothing to Oivia who ony ickd hr ips and and on a dsk by a window. Whn th phon rang, th room hushd. Oivia, who arady had sunk bow hrsf, didn t vn rais hr had. Ho? Missy said into th phon. Oh ys, dar. Dinnr is rady. Of cours. For your birthday. Lobstr. Lobstr and Stak. Ok, daring. I s you soon. It was no surpris, but I hatd knowing xacty what th othr sid of that convrsation was ik. And it was wors raizing that Oivia knw too. Ho hony. Is dinnr rady? Ova Magazin

29 Oh ya? Is it somthing spcia? You ar so trriby good to m. I s you in fiv minuts. I m on my way up. H b hr in fiv minuts, vrybody. Find a pac to hid, Missy said. Oivia and I sid bhind a bookcas. I saw mn crouch bhind couchs so thir suits woud not touch th ground. I saw womn put thmsvs in cornrs. Oivia and I wr aon in th shadow and chiy quit of th bookcas. Sh put hr arms on my hips and hr had on my chst. I iftd my hand to hr had, but t it fa back down bcaus I knw that Oivia didn t want to b touchd. Sh ony wantd to touch somthing cos to hr. A I coud do, I thought, was b as cos as I coud so a sh vr had to do was touch m and a I vr had to do was b touchd. W hard th door opn and Missy com to hr husband and grt him. In unison, vryon jumpd out of thir hiding pacs and harmonizd an insincr surpris! H didn t ook that diffrnt. H was drssd nicr of cours but h didn t sm ik h agd at a: his hair was sti gray in a th right pacs, his shoudrs sti rip with a tndr vunrabiity. Hom wakd through th room with th sam ys h aways had. For a momnt, I was rivd. I coud f th hat from Oivia s arms, though thy hardy grazd min. Hr chks wr rosy with what might hav bn coy nrvousnss or anxity, and hr ys binkd ik a vibrating piano string. Hom wasn t waking toward us, h wasn t vn facing us. H was ushrd through a crowd by handshaks and dainty kisss. Do you want to say hi now? I askd. No. W wait. Thos ys, sh said. H ray hasn t changd, I trid. Thos smis, sh said. Mayb a itt, but h ooks good. Wr mant for us. My shoudrs droppd. Sh wasn t angry, sh wasn t sad. Sh was just obsrving th numbing truth. Thy wr. Not anymor. Thy wr ours. Homstad, I said. W r aving, sh said aftr sh had arady startd waking. But w v com a this way. W shoud at ast shak his hand. Say somthing fak. Somthing ncouraging. It s ovr, sh said. I m not sur whthr h saw us whn w driftd by him. If h did, h didn t Voum II 25 j o s hu ạ p ot t r

30 26 j o s hu ạ p ot t r say anything thn, and h hasn t sinc. I m sur my phon numbr is sti thr, just-in-cas. I somtims try to think of scnarios that woud mak him ca, but I hav nvr bn ab to think of on. Aftr th party, Oivia and I wnt right up to our room. Th cab rid back to th hot was much shortr than th on thr and I wishd it astd a itt ongr. Instad of aving th door opn for m to watch this tim, sh cosd th bathroom door bhind hr to tak hr makup off, to put hr arrings away, to wondr, I thought, whthr sh knw a aong what woud happn. But whn sh cam out, sh hadn t don anything. It was twnty minuts and I had amost fan asp. I wantd to stay up and spnd th tim thinking of somthing to say. But by th tim sh cam out, I was ony hafconscious with my gs danging off th bd with my shos sti on. You r sti drssd, I said. So ar you, sh said. I m going to th hot bar. To drink? Ray? No, I just don t want to tak my drss off yt. Ok, do you want m to com? No. Thank you. You shoud gt som sp. Th room chod with th sound of th ctronic ock in th door. Thn, aftr th thick, wightd sinc thr was ony sinc. Oivia wantd to b aon. I coud undrstand that. Evn though sh shoud b with somon, somon who sti ovs hr, who won t chang unss sh wants chang. But, if Oivia wantd to touch m, I thought, sh woud hav askd. I f asp aftr a whi, aving a spot on on sid of th bd for whn sh cam back. I wok up into dark, my had a sandbag. I rachd ovr to nothing but shts. I didn t biv it unti I turnd th ight on. Th room was just how I ft it, my shos on th sid of th bd, my watch on th nightstand. Shit, I said to th piow. Shit. Shit. Damn it, I thought as my had card and th rcognition pud m into ucidity. God damn it, Oivia. Th chairs wr stackd in th bar, no bartndr, no vibrant and non ight from th TV, ony drab goom it up by a woman in a pink drss, hunchd ovr hr gass with fog in hr ys. Oivia, I said. Don t, Avi. It s at. Ar you drunk? Sh pickd up hr gass and sammd it back down ik sh was proving its innocnc. Christ, Avi. Gingr a. You v bn hr for fiv hours sipping gingr a? You got m prgnant, sh said. Sorry. I didn t man too. I know, sh said, rnting, amost as if sh mant it. I ov you, I said. Ova Magazin

31 I was going to wak away, to nd th convrsation, to t Oivia f air unti sh ndd to touch somthing soid, but sh pickd hr had up. Avi, say what you man to say. I man to say I ov you. Or, I sti ov you. I v aways ovd you. Sh aughd from th throat, coming up from hr gut as if th baby was aughing too. It was a augh I hadn t vr hard bfor and I hopd I woud nvr har again. You want to t m that I m so-o-o-o bautifu and you want to mak ov to m. I want to ravish you, daring. You want to tak m right hr. No, Oivia. Tak m right hr, Avi. You want to rip my coths off! You want m mor than you v vr wantd m bfor. I want to kiss you. On th mouth. On your yids. Your fingrs. You want to mak m scram. I just ov you. To mak m cum. I ov you, I said. Th fog in hr ys wispd away to whrvr fog gos aftr it ifts from th ground. I stppd forward, mayb to crad hr. Mayb to t hr that vrything woud b ok. Mayb to say that w woud hav this baby. But bfor I coud wrap mysf into hr, sh suckd in air as if sh wr out of brath, and it was a crushing augh, disorinting and hoow. 27 j o s hu ạ p ot t r Voum II

32 Od Rag Mountain Sing pink aur bossom against grn thickt whi spring thundr from across th vay 28 I wast pom with words! m at ṭ f a r m r Ova Magazin

33 brif mditations on an mpty pan of gass --you ar a in drawn in charcoa on distant pans; a bod and suddn gust of wind through avs of grass; imprint of a body on a body in an mpty bd; disturbanc of a strt-amp; --i covr you in gry fim; transcrib you onto unforgiving shts of ad; pu you into momnts that do not contnd with day-ight, or convninc; mdiat your fingrprints in bird baths; but you wi nvr com and i 29 k at ẹ o p Voum II

34 th ngation of bing 30 k at ẹ o p and what, in th absnc of a hop is ft, but th ngation of bing, somthing ss soid, indircty mbracd and mpty, compacnt, or aching for room to roam fr, unbound by th ackss pitht of wanting mor and nding, th aways so untouchd and changing, th banknss of outstrtchd fingrs groping du spac or two ips poisd and waiting? what coud b ft, but th du phon ringing and th whit was brathing and swating out this fvr dram on wt shts or th couch st cod and staind. win taintd. ik watr coor rd baoons. as fading ight strains to rad th ins that fingrs trac in dust on mantpics, covrd in grocry ist rgrts and dim stor ongings, th amost, as if anything coud b bttr than this strt amp yawning. Ova Magazin

35 o p Quit I woud ro you in thin paprs and smok you who, to f you in my vins, to know how you tast whi burning, watch you grow cod, ash gry and fa. but I don t smok. 31 k at ẹ Voum II

36 b i want to drag you raving 32 k at ẹ o p in ths haowd strts bar haucinating angs, unpic your taut fram &ris hoow out your bons &fy Ova Magazin

37 Voum II Not Vnic, but Bangkok mari.garrison

38 Schooboy, Ova Magazin Namibia carmin.ighton

39 a u ra. s t Boys in a Fig Tr, Namibia carmin.ighton Voum II

40 Schoogir & Hr Hous, Ova Magazin Namibia carmin.ighton

41 a u ra. s t Th Tr chsy. von hrnkrook Voum II

42 Ova Magazin Boombox City patrick.gi

43 a u ra. s t Industris patrick.gi Voum II

44 Ova Magazin Swating Shos patrick.gi

45 a u ra. s t Eys That Do Not S patrick.gi Voum II

46 Untitd My grandmothr in on of hr aborat hats. Siy or fancy? Fancy if xpns is th distinction. Just on mnt of a fashionab wardrob: cashmr scarvs, fak yashs (sh wor thm vry day, my mothr caims), Chan prfum. Sh is hoding a drink (scotch?) and prchd on hr cram coord couch. Sh kpt a bautifu hous antiqu furnitur, fin paintings, a baby grand piano. Ros bushs in th front, a sun room and a rd ti patio in th back. 42 a m an d ạ gg r t Dinnr at hr hous sh ovd to ntrtain. Who wants to say grac? I am ony fiv yars od. I say Grac. W a augh, vn Grandma Opa with hr staunch tab mannrs (Ebows off th tab!) By th tim I was od nough to kp mmoris of hr, hr own wr sipping away. Do you want a tuna sandwich? sh rpatd to my sistrs and m. Sh coudn t rmmbr our answrs ary onst Azhimr s cogging th pathways btwn hr nurotransmittrs, ik chostro in th artris of a hart. Upst in hr car, ost fiv bocks from hom whi rturning from th nighborhood grocry stor. My odr sistr s nam was rmmbrd. Min and my twin sistr s wr not. Sh dosn t do it on purpos, My mothr ts us. Sh can t hp it. Rtirmnt chcks in th mai from Dain Bosworth ong aftr sh stoppd working thr. Sh had bn Montana s first fma stockbrokr. Sh shook hands with Prsidnt Ragan. Hr sh is in a fat-coord photograph standing in front of th Grat Wa of China on a rainy day. Hr scond husband and th agd ov of hr if my dad s fathr did young of a hart attack. Sh ft Whit Suphur Springs, movd to Biings with my dad, ag 12, and my unc, ag 8. Marvin ookd ik Dan Rathr, sh woud say whn th CBS vning nws cam on. Yars atr, I arn that many of hr yars in Biings wr scarrd with acohoism and oninss. Sh had an affair with a marrid man on of Biings wathist andownrs that astd svra yars. My unc s nam was th ast to disappar from hr mmory. H was a cartakr for 15 ong yars, vn th ast fiv, whn sh was just a bating hart and a pair of binking ys bhind thick gasss. Effctivy mut, bary ating, somtims grinding hr tth. W didn t know what to do. W gav hr gum. Ova Magazin

47 Our Living and Sping Harrison Stvns Th author rqustd that this pom b rmovd from this digitizd voum.

48 Th Bubird s Asctic Harrison Stvns Th author rqustd that this pom b rmovd from this digitizd voum.

49 Ova Magazin Furca d a Buddha mari.garrison

50 Eary Morning Intrud And sinc, I v unarnd Many du Sundays Of bing possssd: cinmatic sat shift And th suppmnta dad-g Pw hours Emiy Dickinson s had riss Off min, and I wondr If I rad th apps Downward sun, th orchard fuming Cidr, and th apps midnight Rd, sky-pump as manzana skin Lining th unduat his Th apps and th night Or prhaps I was sping Whn I nary brok 49 r ya ṇ a n d o f i Finding th night daiy And I, nding to brak By words As a boy I was trrifid Voum II

51 Litmus Luthr passd among thos girs h didn t know Scotch A, though non coud apprciat th campfir biscuit aftrtast. I m a smokjumpr you know, h ts th sma on with th bittr fac: you must b Dangrous. 50 r ya ṇ a n d o f i A smi buids on Luthr Mr. Trminus spis from th crackd wa, nxt to my ar, You shoudn t b hr Luthr you arn t, vntuay thy know. Girs don t know my ravn smi. A th girs with prttir ys not sing Luthr, th crackd wa. Sh avs with his a, aughing. Anothr gir passs and Luthr can t imprss himsf running fingrs ovr th crackd wa. I know th cod buts, th ad in Luthr s gut. Ova Magazin

52 Lik Evry Boy Th Fir Lik vry boy th fir Was to nticing, Its sp Too msmrizing Th fam it was too captivating To istn to Our parnt s Warning. Lik vry boy th fir Stood off At a distanc Th fam it cad us From a distanc; And that w did istn By a faut of adoscnc W wr Scodd and W wr sntncd. 51 r o b r ṭ ṣ w hi d Lik vry boy th fir Burnd My fingrs tips, burnd My hands ti thy Wr sootd and dformd But, ik vry boy I too Was warnd Voum II

53 Constations It f from your carss gstur Off th tab, th jar of coins Abov th brokn gass w masurd Th constations you had divind. 52 r o b r ṭ ṣ w hi d Ova Magazin

54 Night on th Road It s bn too ong sinc I ast saw th Darknss and did not shuddr or wp in dspair Th Lady prd around th Mountain hr fu round fac iuminating th trna pain and I rmmbrd th timid and ri isands of ight that swim in th Distanc and bckon but not so much as th Qun and Hr mask of god and whit th hauntd skta trs that rach, dsprat, up to th twiight, as th Prima mind snds signas, Tip-toing from spin to yba 53 i n s d ỵ a p p Dr dancing in cornrs, bhind shotgunnd and isoatd park signs Mmoris, in abandond attics ratting chains and bnt highway rfctors Od houss and mountain sihoutts, gassy aks, poos of moon-on-earth, music for My ys oninss, bauty and snow. Voum II

55 Pru or Park City 54 b n. p r z Pru or Park City? Isands sink in th sand Rcords skip as much as th Living dad Wstrn famiy vaus Targting my poxy stuttr Wifu radio strains Primitiv go addicts aign A ar on tonight Bowing rad facs stumbing Lik porcupins on Snsory ovroad Sunday W r a ooking, not comprhnding Not picking up whr w ft off Mry prcipitating Packrat imaginations Ova Magazin

56 Antarctic Ausions My body crashd dicaty, disconncting a crysta sa. Mmory rassurd m I was hom, but back and whit submrgd swimmrs whisprd hints of an ic-cappd isand. Ovrhad, pasma is strickn with uminscnt hus. Grn gowing curtains danc an nchanting grting. Ths craturs bfor mtuskd, wbbd, whiskrdwoud ring bs for cnturis th way thy did now. Bs ringing, or songs hummd. On bop on th had, a warus prhaps? 55 m au r ṇ m c k n z i My fathr, instad. "Your aarm is chiming." Voum II

57 Nightstandoff Cock, nai-caspd to th stri wa ahad that bood coff nightstand, it ticks away. W sink bourbon down, cattring rocks, sapping th mtronom night. 56 b r an ṭ c b u a Bottomss braths, unwinding hands without rhythm, w want sinc, but w har ticks. W know th back ho insid th nightstand. Shov it up th back of our sku. Our ft tmp. Th roof of our mouth. Undr th chin. Pooooow. S shards and tim sowy fa ovr th nightstand, ovr ticks. Ova Magazin

58 Cur Duan spit out th window of th 95 Chvy. Though it was at Sptmbr, h ft th window down. To h with th Fd who didn t know how to drss for a propr prairi fa. Th dntd and mud fckd pickup truck rumbd down th two wh track path that mad up th road. In som pacs th road was dpy ruttd, nary high cntring th truck. Othr tims prairi dog hos and sma sagbrush and itt rmnants of snow obscurd th way. Duan Langston took th ntir road th sam spd. G. Micha Huxy sat crouchd at th othr window, on hand on th oh-shit hand, th othr scratching Duk, th Austraian Shppard, who sat btwn thm. And th proprty xtnds to that fnc Mr. Langston? said G. Micha Huxy. To th ridg Duan motiond with on fck of a fingr, byond th furthr ridg. H was not intrstd in sma tak with a man with on ttr for a first nam. Oh, right right. I rmmbr th map now. G. Micha Huxy was not a ranchr. H did not hav a good coat. His vhic was mad in th ast tn yars, and was can. But sti, h had said Mr. Langston, I m hr to vauat your proprty with a th sriousnss of on who d scrutinizd a working man s ivihood bfor. G. Micha Huxy mad a not on th cipboard on his ap. Duan distrustd pop who ndd cipboards outsid an offic. Thy got in th way, cipboards. Paprs aways futtring, siding aong bumpy pickup sats, thy wr not practica. And practica was to b admird. Duan wrot nots on his hands with a pn. Whr is th cow hrd? At th uppr crk, Mr. Huxy said Duan as h shiftd th chw in his owr ip with his tongu. Pas, ca m Mik. Duan ookd straight ahad. Th Fd s man prtndd to b sincr, but Duan coud rad through his profssiona bushit. This Fd coudn t b trustd. Non of thm coud. From th shriff that ockd him up for drinking on th way hom in high schoo on a dsoat highway that h coud ki ony himsf on, as h w rmmbrd arguing to this man in th cab with him, thy wr a crookd. Duan had ong known G. Micha Huxy woud com bfor ong. Thy had com for his cousin Cay s pac a fw yars back. Th Fds controd th markts and th banks. Thy mad it impossib to mak a 57 n ạ v ia Voum II

59 dcnt iving anywhr but bhind a dsk and bow a boss. And Duan woudn t to stoop to that. So h had rfusd to pay th Fds any mor of th mony h arnd through bood and swat. What srvics had h vr got from thm? Piss poor schooing in a on bar town. Thr was nvr any tak of him gtting schoarships. Thr wr no cog rcruitrs at th footba gams. 58 n ạ v ia Dr sason dosn t opn for anothr month dos it? said G. Micha Huxy, ooking at th.223 that stood nxt to Duk, rsting on th foor board barr down. Duan s ys joind G. Micha Huxy s on his Rmington. It s for coyots h said, and dogs that run. Th Chvy shuttrd on a particuary big rut. Dogs? Lik wid dogs? Duan did not apprciat bing scrutinizd by a man who t his fingrnais grow ongr than th tip of his fingr. His own sistr didn t grow hrs that ong. Probm dogs had to b shot. On of my cows is worth nin hundrd bucks aon, thirtn hundrd if sh had a caf, and thousands ovr hr if. A stray dog scaring hr into barbd wir fncs and prairi dog hos isn t worth shit to m. Duan spit again out th opn window and ookd at that Austraian Shppard btwn thm. I s. Duan shot him a ook. I d shoot Duk in a hartbat if h got to runnin. Rosco, th coi bfor Duk, had bn a grat dog, on of Duan s favorits of a th mutts h d ownd. But h just nvr did gt bttr at stay. Duan wipd th snot off his mustach with his Carhartt sv. G. Micha Huxy ookd down at his cipboard and wrot scribbd. Th Fd s wr probaby ooking for any rason to put Duan away. Tax vasion or othrwis. Thy d just kp at it ti h was dad or brok or wors. Duan s knucks pad on th string wh. Fncing toos cangd and rumbd in th truck bd. An ndss ambr coud ros from th mud faps. I usd to hav a Chvy ik this. A 94, bu said G. Micha Huxy. Duan kpt his ys on th horizon. Nvr coud gt th radio knobs to stay on ithr G. Micha Huxy haf smid and turnd a bar stub on th dash. A that was ft of a knob. Duan ookd at th stub. Epoxy. Duan gruntd, but did not mak y contact. Epoxy works, usuay. H had bn thr at Cay s haring. Tax vasion. Two yars. Th tax man cam out to th od ranch. Th Fd s had an auction. Cay s gun coction wnt for a good pric. Thy vd th od barn. H had writtn on ttr Ova Magazin

60 to Cay whi h was sti insid. I did what I coud, but I coudn t kp th guns. I did manag to gt Backi. I kp him with Zip and th othr horss. I buy you a br whn you gt out. Thr wr six houss on th od ranch now. H didn t gt a ttr back. Th barn oomd bfor thm, th ony structur for fiv mis in any dirction. Duan sat in th parkd truck, unwiing to mak th first mov. H was not going to giv this Fd-man a tour out of gnrosity. Ar w going to go into th barn, Mr. Langston? Or woud you rathr m do my vauation of your assts without any xpanation from you? Th razor burn on his sight doub chin jiggd as h spok. Duan mt his pa ys for a momnt bfor opning th truck door. G. Micha Huxy first wakd up and down th sid of th barn that had a an-to off th roof, and was kping th hay dry. Th pnci pushr puffd on a cigartt as his pn twitchd in his hand whi h countd rows of round bas. Duan didn t smok, h chwd. Had sinc h was thirtn. Mn who usd thir hands, who ndd thir hands didn t smok. You coud fix fnc, mchanic, fip through porn and jack off, a whi gtting your fix from snuff. Ra working mn didn t smok. Duan stood by th door to th barn, and spit. Insid th barn smd swt and dusty. Shit and mud. Hay and cobwbs. Duan took a dp brath. G. Micha Huxy bgan to scribb, ooking at th coor that hd th botts of Nufor and syrings Duan usd to doctor th catt. H xamind th picwork on th sadds carfuy. H took not of th stat of th buiding. Duan watchd th son of a bitch as h ookd carfuy, and vn knockd on th wa in a fw pacs. As if that s whr Duan had stashd th bags of hiddn cash h had hordd from undr-thtab transactions. Up in th oft sat a th antiqus that had bongd to his granddad and grat granddad whn thy had homstadd this pac back in th 30 s. H rummagd through and put invntd pric tags on hirooms. H said things ik Did you rcord ths on your ast rturn, Mr. Langston? Duan ony gard from th barn foor. 59 n ạ v ia Th cavs wr hard to s in th bright owring sun. Whn thy movd to th back of th barn, th two othrs cavs got up and trottd out th ntryway that d to th outsid sction of th sick pn. On of th cavs though, struggd to gt up, and f back down ovr and ovr. Duk tormntd it, barking and jumping to ick at it, unti xhaustd it ony aid and stard at thm with wid ys. Duan and on th pn s fnc and ookd at it with furrowd brows. What s wrong with it? G. Micha Huxy said with gnuin concrn of somon who dosn t work with catt. Voum II

61 60 n ạ v ia Shit. Evrything. Its gs won t hod it. It won t at. Can bary brath. But mosty it just has I-wanna-di-itis. And you v trid doctoring it? You think I woudn t hav trid vrything I hav for it? H ookd th Fd-acky up and down. I brought hr in from th pastur two wks ago. I v brought hr watr in a buckt twic a day sinc. What dos th vt hav to say? What do you think Mr. G. Micha Huxy? Do you think I hav mony for a vt if you r out hr assssin m? Duan Langston mt G. Micha Huxy s ys. Duan wondrd if this man knw how od his coat was. G. Micha Huxy ookd away and mad a not on his cipboard. You can ca m Mik. Duan ookd back to th caf aboring for brath. No, this on aint gtting bttr. Somtims thy just nd a but. Paro cam ightn months into th sntnc. Duan drov for ight hours cross-stat. H had a twnty-four pack in th back, and a month s wags to spnd on a good night on th town. Thy spnt it a. Cay drov a th way hom, happy to b out and fr. Thy didn t tak about th ranch much that rid. Out back, G. Micha Huxy payd twnty qustions with Duan and his quipmnt. H askd th mak and mod of th tractor. Had Duan s fathr bought th swathr attachmnt nw? H askd how od th ba movr was. Whr was th tit for th truck? Whn had h bought th bar? Was thr any mor quipmnt? What about in th shop back at th hous? Whr wr th manuas? G. Micha Huxy mad itt scratching nots nxt to th ist of assts Duan was supposd to hav. Duan watchd his biggst invstmnts gt jottd down as iqufiab assts and action itms. Why do you vn fucking ask a ths qustions if it s a thr on your itt paprs? Bcaus it s protoco. I hav to mak sur you r not ying to us anymor Duan. Can I ca you Duan? No. Whn thy got back to th truck, Duan raizd his jaw muscs achd. Th hrd was at th crk, just as Duan knw thy woud b. Th S Lazy J ranch was not big, but it coud support th ight hundrd had on a good yar. Th Back Anguss wr hard to s in th shadows of th cdars. Ony thir sow podding and th twitch of yow ar tags gav thm away. You hav how many had of catt hr Mr. Langston? Svn hundrd sixty ight. H had sod som to his nighbor th wk Ova Magazin

62 bfor. Cash, in cas h ndd it. I s h said, making a not. Duan took anothr pinch of chw as h ookd out at th hrd that h and his fathr and sistr and Cay had workd, doctord, and hpd cav sinc th cows wr cavs thmsvs. Do you hav any othr iv assts bsids your cow hrd Mr. Langston? H wondrd if thy woud count th pack of barn cats as iv assts. Knowing th fds, thy d s thm off too. No. Just th catt. No horss? My rcords indicat you own fiv rgistrd quartr horss. His ong fingrnais fippd through his cipboard paprs that apparnty hd tabs on a of Duan s matria possssions. H wantd to rip th cipboard out of G. Micha Huxy s hands. Unss you wanna pu thm out of th dad pi in th guch wst of th hous and s um as dog food, I suspct thy aint worth much. Thy a did, Mr. Langston? H said it as if h wr back in grad schoo and bing scodd. H was not buying into it. Wst Ni. Is that ga? Can my horss hav did from that Wst Ni Virus or do you want to autopsy thm just to s? No said G. Micha Huxy, and h mad a not on his cipboard. Cay trid ranch hand jobs. H workd for Duan for a whi. Thn th Marsh s up th road. H spt on Duan s couch for a fw months bfor h found a chap trair to rnt. To proud to b a squattr. H startd driving a PILOT CAR FOLLOW ME truck during th summr to mak a bit mor cash for rnt. H cam out to rid Backi ss on month, thn not at a th nxt. That fa, Cay startd a job at th fd stor, kping stock. H wor a uniform that had his nam in itt god ttrs abov th pockt. 61 n ạ v ia Th sun was just ovr th Wst his whn thy mad th circ back to th hous. Duan parkd th truck, and waitd for th strangr to gt th h out of his truck. G. Micha Huxy pagd ovr his cipboard. I hav to com back out tomorrow to go ovr th hous and mor of th outbuidings. Duan imagind doing this a again tomorrow. H thought of a th itms in th hous. Things that wr Mom and Dad s. Writing off Mom s covtd crysta china as just an instanty iqufiab asst. Sod off just ik Aunt Gina s china. Tossd out just ik Cay s if had bn. Auctiond off to pay for som govrnmnt program for yuppis in Caifornia. H tnsd whn h imagind this strangr going through his bdroom, finding th magazins in his bdsid tab, pring into th craw spac and going through th frzr. But mosty, h thought of th hoow in Cay as h put on that uniform ach morning. H knw it woud com to this. H knw h was too far into this to go back on it now. H had known th Fds woud com to him bfor ong. Voum II

63 62 n ạ v ia I hav to work tomorrow. I actuay hav to gt things don. I can t b your guid. G. Micha Huxy rad th dfianc in his voic. Mr. Langston, you ar undr invstigation for tax vasion. H said it with a sow, grating mphasis that Duan tnsd at. I don t nd you to tak m out to furthr proprty tomorrow. I wi tak account of your assts with or without you. Duan stard out th bug smattrd windshid. H cnchd his fist. But I had hopd you d b a bit mor cooprativ than your cousin. Duan sammd his fist on th dash. Duk startd and ypd. G. Micha Huxy sat, unbinking. I think for rcord s sak, I had bttr go out and vrify thos horss. Mayb ca a vt out to gt a bood samp said G. Micha Huxy. Th virus won t b aiv in a dad hors, Huxy. H said through his tth. H ft th sick in his stomach ik h was sipping. A th sam h said, I d ik to b thorough. Th driv out to th dad pit in th guch was a sint on. Th Chvy bumpd aong th darkning road. Duan spit out th window vry fw minuts. G. Micha Huxy stard through th rock chips at th opn prairi. Th guch was a dp wash-out on on branch of th crk. It was indistinct from a th othr ris and ravins in th andscap xcpt for on arg Russian Oiv tr that stood ik a iving tombston to th carcasss of th ivstock and furnitur it ovrookd. Duan stoppd th truck and shut it off. G. Micha Huxy got out and wakd to th guch. H ookd striking and out of pac in his sacks against th grass and yucca. H didn t bong. Langstons bongd hr. Duan tod Duk to stay in th pickup as h got out. Duan s throat was ik drying mud. H woud not b nd up ik his cousin. Not ik Cay, brains spattrd a ovr th trair ciing. A pisto in on hand, a not with FUCK THE FED S in th othr. Th horss wr dad; it didn t nd to b qustiond. His sistr ndn t b invstigatd ovr fiv nw horss that wr gtting fat and growing hair ovr thir brands. At ast thos sh shoud hav. Duan ft for th.223. H graspd it, th cod barr, h tod himsf, mad him ras. But hadn t h burnd thos tax forms for a rason? Eithr way th day ndd, it woud b in jai tim. H coudn t t G. Micha Huxy ruin anothr Langston. H pud out th rif with two hands. H ft around in th sid compartmnt of th door for a cartridg. His hands shook so bad, h droppd mor shs than h put in. Cay, hoow-yd, stroking Backi coudd his ys. Mik h said, with a crack in his voic, ook this way. Ova Magazin

64 Th Wind draggd bus and sivrs into your hair; Pushing aong ow-hanging couds. Chasing us. I droppd indications of chidish fars Into your pams -- dropts of godn frost. But honsty, It was nothing sh coudn t hav dvourd. Nothing sh woudn t hav torn apart. Sh took us by our coats And tor at our harts; Pouring us into cod andscaps, Sping into our sous. W stood in subt cstasy; Unab to ca ths gray mountains Hom. But nonthss, fing contmpt with th wind swaowing us who, with our sous bing rippd to pics. 63 a x an d ra. s ug i r i Today th wind showd no mrcy. Voum II

65 Shard Th ang of my hip, jutting, Sharp. Th roing his of my tiny rib bons, so tndr. I star at fsh on bon. No ss, no mor than th day bfor. 64 i s ạ t b r g Th bst body in th and, h tod m As h hd m up and carssd th skin upon my bons. Th thri and th pain, Th pain I no ongr f. Bauty in smanss, I am ovd, dsird. But I am afraid and Euphoria sms too cos to dath. What sicknss in this word maks m bautifu? Ova Magazin

66 Tnsion in Barbi Word iv four houss from th Dairy Qun, th uckist kid on th pant. My I frinds ar jaous. It is my trat, I say, and thn ask my mom for mony. I know a th bst things on th mnu. Avoid th Nrds Bizzard but th Panut Buttr M&M is suprb. I am th connoissur of soft srv. Th ownr knows my dog s nam and th ic cram girs rcogniz us. I am th kid who knows to ask for mistaks, so our scond round is on th hous. My room has a Grasshoppr Grn ciing, Sky Bu foor, Liac was and Bubbgum trim. I chos th paint coors, Crayoa brand. I am iving in a crayon box. Vautd ciings and staind gass windows to spy on Bi, th nighbor with th conspicuousy nat awn and mustach. Barbi word is in th Wst, Littst Pt Shops is in th North, and a Good Wi coction of drss up coths is in th cost. Ovrsizd bu crp prom drss and sivr shos with pink pompoms, graduation gowns. 65 Thr is tnsion in Barbi word. I hav ony on Kn do and th sixtn adis ar forvr quarring. Domstic squabbs so oud thr ar nois compaints from th othr dos. Kn has ony swim trunks and on drss sho. You can t tak him anywhr dcnt and th adis mak sur h knows it. My mothr said no Barbis. But my grandfathr maks sur I hav th svntn. H maks sur Barbi has carr options, as mothr or hairdrssr. My bst frind Andra and I spnd our tim disscting garic covs. W at zucchini straight from th gardn, th dirt crunching btwn our tth. W invnt a way to mak prfum. Squish fowrs in watr, put in mason jars and shak. Add who ptas for asthtic appa. Dan is rmoding our basmnt, w giv him daisy prfum. To us h ooks ik a cross btwn Huk Hogan and our gym tachr. Daisis ar a mor mascuin fowr. H kps th jar on his truck dash; w ar so proud. W pay Midgts on Crutchs, hobbing around th yard with croqut mats undr our armpits, scraming. m ad i s on. u n s w or t h Our cub hous sits on stits and has a porch. W ho up in th stifing, ight squar ft and scribb graffiti on a Titanic postr, giv Lo a mustach. W writ nws storis about how my mom s boyfrind Rob vioats his godfish. W spnd mor tim outsid whn Rob is ovr. W show off on th swing st whi th nighbor boy Frank gowrs from across th ay. I hav a godn rtrivr and h thratns to bow hr up. It is th ast summr bfor schoo bcoms a bad word. Th on bfor I arn I shoud b shaving my gs. Th on bfor I find out ony osrs pay with toys. Th ast summr bfor I stop paying with makup and start having to war it. Th on bfor Andra movs away. Voum II

67 Ova Magazin Wrckag, Rock Springs, Wyomiong mari.garrison

68 For Cassi Onc, cimbing an od gray mountain, you far distant a whiff of far mingd with th aur of th promis of my ov to you m born of man sun sti ow in th morning sky fing not th trai bfor m, but around th bnd and I cam to th ciffs byond th trs in warm ight ookd down thr oaks sycamors ind th hoow sti my mind on you I cosd my ys I awok th sun owr air coor night cosr coming down th od granit with dr bar finch pin stram a ov 67 m at ṭ f a r m r And I ongd for your arms. Voum II

69 Spaking of i. ow and wof sat by a ak in th car dark didnt vn try to count th stars ii. 68 m at ṭ f a r m r i wondr, said ow wof grinnd toothiy sh howd oud iii. as it got toward morning stars fadd singy pink tingd an dg of th sky rising trout dimpd th ak iv. I onc sat nar a ak with my ov and unti th sun ros our storis wr hardy mor fantastic Ova Magazin

70 Visiting Grandparnts Farmand card for dvopmnt, a dogwood strippd can of its autumn fruit by squawking, ravnous Gracks Dsoation Disiusionmnt: th stat of my hart as I ntr th door. Grtd by famiiar sms, a handshak and a kiss as aways. I rciprocat and smi, stomaching th sting of fashood. His gaz ingrs ong ik snowdrifts do in springtim, wisdom prciving discrpancis btwn ys and ips; thought and spch. W sit and chat; my daughtr dancs. Countss porcain knick-knacks trmb in far. I finch, though nothing is brokn. H straightns in his sat, I d ik to show you my mushrooms nvr sn anything ik thm. Th backyard frshy mown, sav for a swath bnath th Popar whr mushrooms gathr, 69 m ar ḳ b o w r s spard th sun by th shad of th tr, and th bad by th impus and wondr of an agd man. Viwd from abov, a haping pattr of pancaks; from bow, a miniatur ivory forst. H grins thn turns and waks to th Prsimmon, picks on and pacs it in my hand, You ik it it s swt. I sink my tth in and winc, discovring thr th butt of his jok. Moistur is suckd Voum II

71 from my mouth, ips puckr ik pruns. H aughs and squzs my shoudr, Thy r no good ti aftr a frost, com back and try on thn! I spit and dspit th fou tast and contortions, a ight rturns a bad of grass a smi. 70 m ar ḳ b o w r s Ova Magazin

72 Bandands hav you vr spt in th badands whr harts ar pigonhos ys ar puckd by cucking hns trs whimpr to itt ons od grandfathr trs notchs, harts carvd rustd shavr bads burid trasurs ttrs and bott caps burid, a day bhind cigartt butts burn wristwatchs fams ick boiing fat od mn try to mak it with young girs in th badands sp nvr coms asy ashs covr couds bus submit to smoking guns orang trs onc grw, days hung ow hung havy rip days, as if sunris was a brry 71 r an d ỵ d i d ay thy t storis in th badands how watrs us to fow bout gntmn and adis sivr ining and prostituts t was a mans word an author xcaims, aughing Gav up th on I ov wrot a pom bout it: Voum II

73 forgot hr nam sh ft m moonight forgot to wav (goodby) 72 r an d ỵ d i d ay bautifu, wr th badands gnras mad dos from Indian yids and toothpick trs, it a happnd. god aughs, stands to thir sid go to sp god whisprs pats his nw dois had brushs thir hair go to sp in th badands. Ova Magazin

74 I Don t Car to Spak of Anything at A In shaow nights mad for thy ovrs mus Our shifting bings find thir way to Each othrs arms and i in dafning Soitud. Transcribing scripturs of pa Stars, undrssing pntimntos; fing Thoughts, caught by sky born branchs, tick goos Pimpd forarms. Fororn dsoation Sps within our starry ys, sing as In a too hug moon, a too simp moon. Grat on y pring down at dwy avs Gaming sands, sous and two carss murmurs Sti w trac tomorrow round our pams, sub Vast vauting ciings of th cosmic sky Hanging ow. Th sacrd fruit of th trs Of Edn, sinking down to smothr our Ecstasy. I sm th, my prfumd ov, And I ay my had on your brasts, drawn nar By fting nots of your bodiy harp I join you and puck your tndr strings, and Our mody is hard across windss Countrysid. 73 r an d ỵ d i d ay From havn bound stps, prists Listn to sins agss concrto, whi Pots compos songs of hat and ov, and Toss thm to mbrs, whr thir ssnc is Carrid to a tumutuous God s stoop. And dogs how at shipss saiors, having Sighs of grif at our mastrpic, shouting: Evry goddamn song of man wi b payd On such a harp com Judgmnt day. Voum II

75 W ook To viot ribbons watzing round smoky Baads, as mornings ptas bgin to Fa upon th whimprs of vry hart. And in th fid whr dawn was born w ay As on, (I swar I hard you wish for m) So I ook to you And you ook to m And w car not to spak a wordy sound. 74 r an d ỵ d i d ay Ova Magazin

76 Can Cut Ockham haf convns Atop a hi of sack H wi gady cut you som For th monkys on your back Grinning and Thinking and Sharpning And Sharpning and Grinning and Thinking Spit and grit whir assumptions A stw of fat and costs and shit Rd fags fying vrywhr and aways Th ru of thumb gos thumbs down And you r ft with fiv stars in your cra And a ovr your ong svd shirts Kp it simp. Kp it srious. Scinc nvr boasts a sns of humor Scinc givs monkys srious haircuts And shoots thm into spac 75 r an d ỵ s ṭ c a i r Voum II

77 2009 Contributors As h y Lo y n i n g // is a frshman at Th Univrsity of Montana studying Art Education. Sh was born on a Lo/Virgo cusp and ovs coff, sushi, cats, and windmis. Hr disiks incud th sound of kys jinging or bik bs, spicy foods, and mustachs. 76 c o nt r ib u to r s Ma r i Ga r r i s o n // is a franc photographr iving in Missoua. Sh has don portraits, wddings, and fin art, but hr passion is trav photography. Sh pans to attnd th Photojournaism Mastrs Program at UM in th fa. Ca r m i n L i g h t o n // is a snior in th Libra Arts and Widrnss Studis programs at Th Univrsity of Montana. Sh has discovrd a ot of bautifu, ccntric, outandish, and unxpainab things through photography and wondrs if sh has xprincd mor of if through a camra ns. Sh iks th chang of photographing from th prspctivs of th smar, strangr inhabitants of this word-- such as worms and chidrn. Ch s y Vo n Eh r n k r o o k // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana. Pa t r i c k Gi // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana. Ro s s Ro b b i n s // is a frshman at Th Univrsity of Montana. L o Br t t // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana. Ka t O p // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana. Ha r r i s o n St v n s // was born Mothr s Day, May 10, 1987 in Biings, Montana. H is an aumni of Biings Cntra Cathoic High Schoo and wi graduat from Th Univrsity of Montana in 2009 with a major in Engish Litratur and Crativ Writing and a minor in Nativ Amrican studis. H hops to gt a taching crtificat and an MFA somday or bcom an intrnationa fishing guid. Ova Magazin

78 Ry a n La n d o f i // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana. Ro b r t S Wh i d // is a studnt at Saisbury Univrsity in Maryand. Li n d s y Ap p // is a frshman from Roundup, Montana and is currnty taking a four yar brak from hr if so sh can go to cog. Writing is hr gratst passion, foowd cosy by fta chs and ating sandwichs on th bach. Sh's particuary fond of pistoary novs and Emiy Dickinson. B n Pr z // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana. Ma u r n McK n z i // is from Phiadphia, Pnnsyvania whr sh ivs with hr parnts and thr sibings. Sh is currnty a sophomor at Pnn Stat Univrsity majoring in Scondary Education: Engish/ Communications. Br a n t C b u a // grw up on th cntra coast of Caifornia. H is graduating from Th Univrsity of Montana with a dgr in Environmnta Studis. H vountrd for th Environmnta Studis itrary journa Camas: th Natur of th Wst. A x a n d r a Su g i r i // is an intrnationa studnt from Indonsia and currnty a frshman at Th Univrsity of Montana. Sh is doub-majoring in Print Journaism and Crativ Writing and is intrstd in a things itratur. Sh writs mosty potry and has had work pubishd in hr high schoo's itrary magazin as w as th onin itrary magazin Undrground Voics. 77 c o nt r ib u to r s Li s a T b r g // is currnty in hr scond smstr of Th Crativ Writing Program at Th Univrsity of Montana. Sh graduatd with a bachor's dgr in Psychoogy from UM in 2007 and is now working towards a scond bachor's dgr in Engish. Ma t t Fa r m r // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Virginia's Cog at Wis. Ma r k Bo w r s // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana. Voum II

79 Ra n d y Di d a y // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana. Ra n d y St. C a i r // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana. La u r a Pr i c St // is currnty a snior at Th Univrsity of Montana. Sh wi graduat in May 2009 with a dgr in crativ writing. Sh currnty rsids in Missoua, Montana with hr partnr and thir dog, Coopr. 78 c o nt r ib u to r s Jo s h u a Po t t r // startd writing fiction at Wstrn Michigan Univrsity aftr graduating from high schoo in Dtroit, Michigan. By th nd of his first smstr of cog, h dcidd h ndd to ook for a pac whr h coud pursu his passion for writing but aso nurtur his ov of th outdoors. H dcidd on Montana bcaus it rprsntd th xact opposit of Dtroit at a tim whn h was ooking for a chang. H arrivd at Th Univrsity of Montana at th bginning of his junior yar and has sinc bn accptd into UM s journaism schoo and continud to doub major in Crativ Writing. L n a Vi a // is a junior at Th Univrsity of Montana studying Engish with an mphasis in Crativ Writing. Exprincs growing up on a farm in Eastrn Montana around a cos-knit famiy and a fw dozn cats srv hr as an ndss sourc of inspiration to writ about th sorts of topics and typs of pop and motions sh grw up around. Whn sh is not rading or writing for cass or pasur, sh can b found wandring th back ays and trais of Missoua, Montana, going for ong drivs, or at hom cooking with frinds. Am a n d a Eg g r t // is a studnt at Th Univrsity of Montana and a mmbr of Ova s Pros Board. Ma d i s o n Un s w o r t h // was born and raisd in Missoua, Montana. That city, its surroundings and th pop who iv thr provid xtraordinary inspiration. Sh is a crativ writing studnt at th Univrsity of Montana with a focus in crativ non-fiction. Sh has pubishd onin in Th Racontur. Ova Magazin