2007 - Vol. 4, Issue 1

The bottoms of my feet are quite pretty.
No one ever expects me to stand up when they enter the room.

The good thing about being a humorist is that I tend to see the comical side of whatever I'm going through, even — or especially — when it's humiliating, aggravating, or stressful. I love to entertain my friends with amusing tales of the latest stupid thing I've done or endured: how I had to call my landlord and sheepishly request he put my front door back on its hinges after I accidentally rammed it with my powerchair; how my service dog was farting so horrifically during my psychotherapy session that my counselor had to cover my dog's behind with a towel; how my dental hygienist has told me twice a year for eight years that she's sure I'm going to recover because I "have a positive attitude," and instead of saying, "What the hell do you know about my attitude?" I always reply, "Angk uy."

Sue had not long been out of hospital, but was, as she put it, already climbing the walls. The plan was that I would walk the mile or so to her flat and then the two of us would go to her "local" for something to eat. As I left my house, however, it started to rain, so I decided to catch the bus. This was not a problem because the stop was within throwing distance and the Number 17 was just about due. The only real consequence of this change of plan was that I ended up knocking on Sue's door about half–an–hour early.

Smelling of toothpaste and shampoo, she invited me through to the kitchen with a hug and a voice that revealed pleasure and a hint of irritation, but the latter disappeared by the time she gave me a mug of fresh coffee with which to occupy myself.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Robin Mayhall for this month's StaffShot. Robin lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has always been a writer.

Robin is a public relations practitioner who writes speculative fiction and poetry in her spare time. Her poetry has appeared in Strange Horizons, ChiZine, Astropoetica, Scifaikuest and Ultraverse, as well as in Breath & Shadow. She has a website at http://www.hieran.com. We're glad she shares her talents with us at Breath & Shadow. Here's what she had to say.

St. Francis is here,
birds on his shoulders,
in violet dawn.

Deer will graze
and wait for the sun
to turn the desert into gold.