by Steven Arcieri
photographs of people pouring pen ink or bubble soap into fountains framed and important in houses consumed by fire with firefighters chopping through each and every door with axes and gold crosses tucked sweating in their chest hair while the homeowners are on vacation somewhere somewhere where the weather is marginally better than it is here and sending postcards with dogs wearing sunglasses and collared shirts and elderly women wearing sunglasses on them to their relatives and coworkers and friends: they all say “im happy but im scared but im comfortable” and they kiss in hotel rooms that are neither expensive or cheap but they don’t hold hands on the boardwalk and they don’t feel warm when they are crammed close on public transportation and there is nothing in the bookstore that interests them except for stale raspberry scones and napkins