ALONG THE BORDER BY JACOB MONIZ 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 116

Mark Rothko said of his artistic process: “I think of my pictures as dramas; the shapes in the pictures are the performers. Neither the action nor the actors can be anticipated, or described in advance. They begin as an unknown adventure in an unknown space.” His art, contrasting paints layered by distinctive washes and blends, surreal and expressionist strokes, brims with the sense that he has had a long and storied journey.

THE HUNGER OF THE DEAD BY WILLIAM K BURKE 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 116

He got too lucky and was beaten to death in the alley. Now he wanders the place. Looking for something, or somebody.

ALL ARE NAKED BY MICHAEL MATEJCEK 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 116

We stared through the garage door from the dark. None of us breathed. In that rectangle of light, she was separate from us, unreal and apart, as if spot-lit and on stage.

WHAT GOOD IS LOVE BY EMILY GARCÍA 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 115

By the time it’s past midnight and we’ve gone through four bottles she’s asleep on the couch.

MOTHER’S DAY BY STEPHEN KAHN 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 86

THE NEXT YOUNGEST DAUGHTER BY JR BARNER 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 114

She’s read (just) enough Nabokov to know where this is all heading. 

FRIENDLY CONFINES BY TESSA ABBOTT 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 104

Hey dad, so you know how you forced me to go to this prestigious, judgmental, turn-children-into-working-robots school? Yeah, well as it turns out, I don’t really fit in there. Earth-shattering, right? 

WARHOL/WAYNE/WEST BY ZYG FURMANIUK 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 109

You know Warhol did a Batman film in 1964? So this was it. Batman/Dracula, filmed on rooftops near the Factory with underground film-maker Jack Smith in the lead. Unfinished. What of it?

PENNY ROLL BY VICTORIA WISWELL 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 114

The Trio, out of uniform, leaning against each other and the door frame as though it were perfectly normal for them to be at her apartment on a Friday night.

DOWN THE ROAD A PIECE BY BERNIE HAFELI 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 11

She blew him a kiss. It was like he could see it rise above the smoke and neon and glide lazily toward the stage, a rose petal in the evening breeze. Momentarily he stopped strumming, reached up and caught it.

THE FLATNESS OF HYPER-REALISM BY ALLISON RICHARDS 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 110

We viewers cannot paint perfect figures, so we don’t make art. We don’t have the time, so we don’t make art. We watch a video on TikTok and the end result looks more real than our goddamn reflection in the mirror, and so we don’t make art. 

INTERNAL VOICES BY TRAVIS COBB 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 81

Inside this Tower of Babel where nothing gets said. Put out what you need to speak. See if god is listening. 

ZHTWEET CHARITY BY BEN UMAYAM 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 111

Why doesn’t she go back to the cathedral with the other beggars? I am so close to making my airfare. She is spoiling it all, spoiling the whole thing.

SKIPPER AND KEN VISIT BARBIE’S PAD BY STEVEN MCBREARTY 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 113

Okay, Skipper said, so who is this dude you’ve got me hooked up with anyway?

PLAYLIST FOR THE WORST DAYS BY JAWNO OKHIULU 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 108

A mix of rhythm, funk, soul, and soapbox prophecy cut with love, grief, rage, and acceptance.

THE TRAGEDY OF THE ROSEMARKIE SEAL BY EMILY NEVES 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 103

I turn my back to the cave wall and look out. The slope of the hill and a little green bramble with a spray of yellow flowers partially obscures one side of the opening and on the other side I see the green-gray sea reaching to the horizon. I think, I could live here if I had to. 

SINGLE MOMS HAVE COZY APARTMENTS BY SE DIAMOND 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 99

Since Jennifer’s mom is a biker and goes out a lot, Jennifer usually stays at her grandmother’s house where she can have a more stable childhood. I love sleeping over there because her grandma makes egg mcmuffins and lets us watch R-rated movies.

CARTWHEEL BY YUKO IIDA FROST 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 105

After spending all those years studying hard, cramming, memorizing everything—I could recite the entire preamble of the Japanese constitution, classic Chinese poems, how to apply trigonometry formulae, the laws of physics—not doing a cartwheel would be how one of the top universities would fail me.

DEAD CAT BY MELVIN STERNE 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 96

What’s the most likely ending? What’s the worst-case scenario? What’s the best ending? There’s a billion potential endings. Pick one.

MACHINE GIRL BY REBECCA EGAN 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 96

I want a signal that screams I made it through. On my own. I found a way out. 

A SCUT OF EARTH BY ELIZABETH KIRSCHNER 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 93

Bean whispered, you could place your hand in a ripe fruit and withdraw a beautiful afternoon. He said, “Whatever happens happens for the good.”

VISION BOARD BY MEIKKO LEE 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 107

You’re telling me I had the power to change my life from the vampire-sucking scam of an occupation that is public education? Sign me up.

LOVE AND PHILODENDRON BY PATRICK SEAMAN 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 83

It was a quick walk down to the little creek that ran through your father’s backyard. We would kick off our shoes and ball our socks into our pockets and feel which rocks were the slimiest and search for crayfish with our toes. I remember you wore my hat and laughed as we walked home hand in hand and I told you to keep it and you did. 

THE GOOD CHINA BY PAMELA SUMNERS 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 96

I told him nothing’s the same after six months. All the good stuff’s gone.

BETWEEN TWO LAKES BY SUSAN DEFREITAS 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 115

By the second week of school, I was half in love with her; I assumed everyone was, or would have been, had she not been such a bitch with her critiques.

STARTING AGAIN BY LINDSAY SMITH 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 89

But you can’t. She buries her face in the pillow. Oh, I know. Things change. Yet the surf. Harry stretches his body along Aster’s bare back. Yet the surf. The surf will always. Always. Aster? Aster?

STEALING HOME BY KAY BONTEMPO 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 78

Two bell peppers, Muenster cheese. Cauliflower, a pack of Newports, Tampax. Martinelli’s apple juice. Paper towels two-ply. English Breakfast tea. Boil-in-a-bag rice, paper clips, ramen noodles. Maybe some ice cream if there was money left over. America’s Choice vanilla, eaten straight from the carton. It wouldn’t be bad. With an uncomfortable pop, he pulled out of her and lay beside her, breathing hard. It was 11.52pm. She wondered if the Shop’n’Save would even be open.