“You manipulate staff to discharge him every twenty days, just before his Medicare coverage runs out. Then you re-register him to start a new cycle. But that’s only slightly fraudulent. You invent illnesses, so Medicare will extend his stay.” “Those are real illnesses.” “That he doesn’t have.” Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Books … Read more
Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Poetry But, His Clothing is Still There When time has ripenedand the day’s dying lightis in your favor,find the key to his armoire.Stand just so for the gloaming glowof the waning dayin mother’s full-length mirror.Try on his abandoned tweed,segregation’s scent stillin the weave.Pull his braces up with your … Read more
Our scenes were electric. We climbed Everest, found hope and lost it in the trenches of the Somme, and broke up more times than we ever got back together. We smoked enough imaginary cigarettes to give a blue whale stage IV lung cancer. One time Basil cried when Chet stole his imaginary bike. We gave … Read more
In early 2023, we realise we can’t beat AI, and it’s not going away, so we make a business decision to harness it. Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction Confessions of a Content Marketer Lie n., v., lied lying, -n. 1. a false statement made with intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. … Read more
I had no interest in helping Lakshmi Stores thrive or in fobbing off greedy accountants. It was the word Delhi that exploded in my head. Delhi. I was going to Delhi. I spent the rest of the day salivating at the prospect. Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Books Gandhi Colony People leave home … Read more
Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Poetry Rondo My friend finds God in unexpected places.We are in the woods the first time she tells me:rain drumming gentle on the leaves, we stand without umbrellas or coatsat the side of the slow-flowing stream, sing songs in hesitant harmony,and speak. She says, I think that moments … Read more
Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Poetry A (not so) Private Sestina “Momma needs privacy!”you yell, underwear at your ankles on the bathroom floor.If they hear,they pay no attention.Tiny feet rush in,possessing the same boldness with which they stampeded through the rest of your life.When you gave life,you relinquished your privacy.Some days are too … Read more
Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Poetry Hope I look out across the verdant fields and am awed-The splendor of the spring flowers, the azure of the sky, andThe lazy sunbeams scattered here and there.I feel at home and comforted, like this is the only placeI can be, here and now.The scents of lavender … Read more
We’re rolling past some police vehicles now. As we screech to a stop at a large, four-lane street, we’re greeted by deputies moving cones for us to pass. One of the sheriff’s SUVs has been disabled. It lies by the roadside, front pushed in. The ambulance rides into a cul-de-sac, and the driver silences our … Read more
I met a nice man, kind to the core, and took comfort in the strong arms that held me and held me back from myself. Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction Hungry Animals There is a tiger inside me who lives to eat and lick itself clean. For years, it lived hungry, pelvic … Read more