For once, there are no rules. Only a parade
of tragedies, the preset rhythm of marching
feet bound for that tapered axis, that artificial
horizon. We have earned this loneliness, have
known what it represents: a spilt bowl of suns
dissolving a table, burning its way across the floor.
Sometimes, it stops there.
Sometimes, we let the dog lick its trail.
Kristine Ong Muslim is the author of We Bury the Landscape (Queen's Ferry Press, 2012) and several chapbooks, most recently Insomnia (Medulla Publishing, 2012). Dan Chaon's selection for The Wigleaf Top 50 (Very) Short Fictions 2012 and the storySouth Million Writers Award Notable Stories of 2011 included her tiny tales. Her stories and poems appeared in many places, including Hobart, Narrative Magazine, Sou'wester, Southword, and The Pedestal Magazine. Her online home is http://kristinemuslim.weebly.com
