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Knife’s Edge

November 13, 2021 5 Comments

By Marcus Memmolo

I stack two milk crates and climb into the alley dumpster.

Smells like piss left out in the sun.

Garbage up to my chin. I can almost taste the rot.

I rummage around with my nose shoved firmly inside my elbow.

Here it is. My cleaver.

The blood is still warm.

I lift the wood handle to my nose and inhale the copper scent.

The final fragrance.

Out of the dumpster, I lope down the street with new purpose.

Onboard a bus, blade beneath my jacket.

“Where to?”

I feel the weight of the steel and the weight of the world.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Coco says

    November 13, 2021 at 9:01 am

    Ugly! Visceral!
    Nicely done.

    Reply
  2. Kevin says

    November 13, 2021 at 10:07 am

    Authentic. Reads like the foreword for a longer piece.

    Reply
  3. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    November 13, 2021 at 12:41 pm

    Wow!… You left me speechless… well done…

    Reply
  4. Amanda Barusch says

    November 14, 2021 at 3:13 pm

    What a great, visceral piece. Thanks for the good read!

    Reply
  5. Mary says

    November 15, 2021 at 10:16 am

    I want to read more! Excellent piece.

    Reply

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