'Defenestration' August 2023

Took a look at Defenestration. I had seen it floating around since 2003, but I don't regularly follow it. The August issue holds a few short stories and poems from new writers who are really pretty good. 

This August, there're five short stories and four poems. I've always preferred short stories over poems. But since these are there, I read them poems as well.

The opening lines of 'Pocket Monsters (Silver Edition)' by Corey Miller made me laugh. I used to play Pokémon for so many years. LOL Except that I'm decades older than this 11-year-old protagonist. This Pokémon hunt is like a quest, a quest that the protagonist's father hasn't returned from. This boy lives in the world of Pokémon. Pallet Town (the town the protagonist and everyone lives in) burns down, but the quest continues for both the protagonist and Professor Oak.

The reassurance in her voice perks me up, ready to begin my slow ending. To become a Pokémon master will take my entire life to catch ’em all. I may not stray from this path—no others career options from here on out. With luck, someday I’ll meet my father and see how close he is to finishing his journey.

It was quite funny reading 'An Avocado Gift,' by Jennifer Spadaccia. As a poem, it's written as one whole paragraph. So I read it in one breath. It was fun because it was like a mundane train of thought that started because of an avocado and how one might give an avocado to a kind friend. More than a train of thought, it's like a guide to 'how to be happy'. The loooooong paragraph ended on an equally mundane note. I love it because it reminds us not to forget our loyal furry companions. 

Take the long way home from work to delay the realization that you have nothing to do once you get there. You live across the street from work so try not to laugh too loudly at the irony of it all. Bake yourself a strawberry pie on Wednesday night and share one gigantic slice with your cat because you know it’s her favorite. Lick your paws together and revel in the warmth of it while sharing a knowing glance. Let this cat sleep in your bed while you curl up in her burlap cat tower. It’s not too cramped when you wrap your arms tightly around your knees. You can hear her purring from the other room.

Had to comb through this one written by a friend!