5

June

5

June

JUNE calls for light rain

”

Vestigial Year is monthly literature, photography, poetry, and art. June calls for light rain.

“

non. The Taxidermist’s Repose

Someone once asked me if I knew the buffalo. No one ever asked the buffalo if they knew I would one day know or not-know them - no one ever asked the buffalo because six million years ago the buffalo did not know anyone who knew how to ask, and the buffalo spent their days trammeling rust-brown knolls and scourging tornados’ runs.

When someone once asked me if I knew the buffalo they really asked me if I knew the difference between knowing and knowing-of and now I know the difference between their asking if I know and their asking if I know the difference between knowing and knowing-of and next I will know the difference between their asking if I know the difference between their asking if I know the difference between knowing and knowing-of their asking if I know the difference between knowing and knowing of and their asking if I know the difference between knowing and knowing-of, and on, and on, ad infinitum.

I’ve only seen a buffalo once and it never rains on the plains.

I’ve only seen a buffalo once but I have not only once seen one buffalo and it never rains on the plains.

I’ve not only once seen one buffalo but I have only seen a buffalo once and it never rains on the plains.

I’ve only seen a buffalo once and I’ve not only once seen one buffalo but I have only once seen seeing a buffalo once and it never rains on the plains.

Have I seen a buffalo or one?

You can’t see a mountain from the plains.

You can’t see a mountain from the plains.

You can’t see a mountain from the plains because no mountain is higher than the horizon.

David Yurman

Ryan Yero

fic. Remember how the light got brighter at night?

James Fitzgerald

The old man stood at the edge of the table for a long while before sitting down. He reached into his back pocket to retrieve a dark brown wallet. His initials bled dark marks into the worn leather. A young man in a poorly pressed shirt with the tie tucked between the buttons approached the table eagerly. "Hello, would you like me to start you off with something to drink?" The old man slowly opened the wallet and passed the waiter a five dollar bill. "Some coffee would be nice." The young man looked at him with an expression that spoke of both confusion and commonality. "You pay up front sir, at the end." The old man took the young man's hand and placed the five into it. "I'd like a coffee, and to sit. Please take this, bring me that, and I'll leave when I leave." The young man, knowing full well how inconsequential this was, took the money and brought him his coffee. Outside, it began to rain.

The old man took off his shoes and slid them out from under the booth into the aisle. He began taking his socks off. For a long while, the old man tended his cup of coffee and ran his toes over the carpet. His gaze meandered out into the neon signs across the street. He always loved the way rain made the light look.

After a while the cup was running low and the young man approached to fill. The older man stopped him, "No thank you, any more and I'll have the jitters," and he flashed the young man a smile, then gestured for him to take a seat. The young man complied.

"How old are you?" "Twenty three," the young man said, with a slight cheer to ensure a reasonable tip. "And you're in school?" "Yes." "And what are you studying?" The young man detested this question as much as anyone does. "I'm studying business." The old man smiled.

"Yeah? How much are you liking it?" "Well enough I suppose." "Got a passion for money?" The boy paused again and sat back, knowing that this would not be a conversation he would step away from in a timely manner.

"I'm hoping it'll pay me alright. I'd like to have some money to move out, start a family, some kids a dog." "And you think that's what money'll get you?" The man pulled out his wallet again and laughed, "Here. There's a family.” He handed the young man five, one hundred dollar bills. The young man didn't accept. "I can't take that from you, that's too much. I'm flattered but - " the older man cut him off.

"No, just take it, here.” He put the money back into the wallet and slid the wallet across the table. "Take the whole thing. There's enough for a dog or two." The older man stood up, looked into the rainy night again, took a breath, and began to walk out. The young man yelled back after him, "Sir, I can't just." But the man had passed through the door, his check already paid.

The young man stood up and looked down at the wallet sitting on the vinyl table top. He picked it up and walked away, being sure not to step on the man's shoes.

8

fic. Calling Nimbus

[A phone rings.]

Receptionist: Good afternoon, Nimbus’s office. How may I help you?

Me: Hello, may I speak with Nimbus please?

Receptionist: Who is calling?

Me: Just tell him it’s Shorts, he’ll know what you mean.

Receptionist: Nimbus is very, very busy. Is this important?

Me: I don’t know. Not really. Listen, I just need to talk to him for a minute.

Receptionist: Fine. I’ll put you through. Nimbus, Shorts is on line one.

Nimbus: Oh boy. Hey, Shorts.

Me: NIMBY! How’s it goin’ man?

Nimbus: What can I do for you?

Me: Just wanted to say what’s up. It’s been a while, wondering what you’ve been up to.

Nimbus: I’m working a lot, and frankly I’m pretty busy. So please get on with whatever your reason for calling is.

Me: Wo-ho-hoooah. Mr. Bossman doesn’t have time for his pal Shorts anymore? What’s the matter; do you not miss me?

Nimbus: Listen, I have to be in Seattle in one hour. I have to be there all week, and it sucks. Seattle sucks. Do you know what’s in Seattle? The worst things. On one side of the street is a Starbucks with their disgust-ingly over-priced coffee and annoying customers, and on the other side of the street is some other lame coffee shop named like ‘The Brown Bean’ or something along those lines, and it’s filled with Joy Divi-

Ryan Moncrief

sion-shirt-wearing, glasses-with-no-prescription-having, food-and-drink-blogging idiots. And it all just sucks. So I’m sorry if talking to you is not priority numero uno.

Me: Jeez. I just…kinda miss you, man.

Nimbus: I’m sorry.

Me: It’s okay. You’re busy. I understand you have a lot of things to do, a lot of places to be. Don’t let me bother you anymore.

Nimbus: No, please, I’m sorry. Let me help you out. All of this travel makes me go a little crazy; of course I can make some time for you. What do you need?

Me: I don’t know, man. I miss you, in like a totally normal, obviously just friend missing another friend kind of way. Because you were here for a while, and I’ll be honest I got a little tired of having you around every single day, but now that you’re gone, and you haven’t been around for a while, I want you to come back.

Nimbus: Are you serious?

Me: Of course I am.

Nimbus: Hahaha! Dude, you freakin’ miss me? I’ve been gone for less than a week. And you miss me? What am I your mom or somethin’?

Me: Shut up ya jerk. I’m pouring my heart out to you and you’re just gonna tease me? Forget it man. I don’t want your help.

Nimbus: I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I kid, I kid. What do you want? You want me to stop by for a day or something?

Me: Yes! Please. It’s so freakin’ hot here. My air conditioner doesn’t work. I’m constantly just sweating, my clothes stick to my body. I smell weird. I feel like I’m living in John Travolta’s boxers. You gotta help me out.

Ryan Moncrief

Nimbus: I don’t know, I have a pretty concrete commitment to Seattle.

Me: Oh come on, I’m dying over here man. I would help you out if I could.

Nimbus: All right, screw it. Seattle can wait a day. Get your umbrella, close your windows; I’m heading to New York. Just don’t miss me too much when I have to leave again.

Me: Deal.

[They both hang up their phones.]

THE END

Ryan Moncrief

non. Learning

some daysI am asked what I’ve done.

and I can say I scaled the tallestmountain in myself,climbed overmy uncertainty like it was merely a stepping stone,

or that I kissedlike I can birth an apocalypse from my lips alonebut I am learningsome days I will be askedwhat I’ve done with these hoursI won’t know what to say except I survived them,

I breathed like I was not drowningfrom damaged lungs,

I accepted the kindness of strangers,I let myself live,

I know it sounds so smallbut maybe being okay with nothing more than “I’ve survived”will be the mountainI climb today.

Elly Belle

non. An Obscure Thing

I’m a coin toss tunnel in the front of a museum.The Trevi Fountain full of rusting pennies no one wants,I am full of things people gave to me because their pockets were already too heavy with other things,and they hoped they could wish on their griefs.

I am a vending machine that steals your money.One with all Pepsi and no Coke.I'm exactly what you wanted, just not in the packaging your biases call beautiful.I’m a branch growing in each direction, so full of desire I grab for all of the sky at once.

Hell, I am a goddamn Cupcake ATM open from 8 pm to 8 am, only because people have forgotten how not to get what they want as soon as they want it,I let people in at times it is most convenient for them,I am good for late nights when you want Red Velvetand need to be reminded that it’s possible to get it at 1 am,I wait around in any kind of weatherjust in case you need me.

I cry too much at everything. I laugh at things that aren’t funny.I’m not sure why I’m here. Let's cut the metaphors now,I am tired.

How many more coins could this body hold.How many more wishes can it contain before I crack openand every person's hope scatters, trickles into the ground.

I want to tell you not to put your love into me, not to think of me,because I’m a lopsided dream catcher, I am a broken fountain.I don't make your dreams come true,I change them completely,your reflection looks like something else in me,and neither of us are the things we thought we wished for.

Elly Belle

I am a coin toss tunnel. You are just someone who is tired of chasing what you want. A flip of a penny sounds nice for a change.

Elly Belle

Josh Roepe

Vestigial YearJune

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James FitzgeraldDavid Yurman

David Yurman

Ryan Yero

James Fitzgerald

James FitzgeraldJosh Roepe

Elly Belle

Ryan Moncrief