“Get up, get up! It’s CHRISTMAS!” Bess rolls over. “I’ll get up when the boys get up.” Isaiah, who is 11, runs next door “Guys, get up! It’s after 9!” “We’re growing. We’ll get up when the girls get up.” “I’m up,” I say, on Isaiah’s heels. Here it is, the lawful hour of ChristmasContinue reading “Noel”
Author Archives: Katie Botkin
Put your humor to the test
I was compiling stuff for a fake magazine to give to my parents for Christmas: Highbrow Slick, a literary rag bursting at the seams with such gems as reviews of the Song of Solomon in limerick form. Only I didn’t have time to pull it off. One of the articles was a horoscope, kyped, compiledContinue reading “Put your humor to the test”
Dates
It was in the negative degrees, and the roads sported ice as hard and dry as the concrete beneath them. Inside, we swallowed coffee that even piping hot seemed lukewarm. In came Leslie and another bearing plates, sugar and spice and everything nice. On one lay crumbly squares filled with a brown paste. Dates, saidContinue reading “Dates”
Missing
Back from break, and not just me. The house, so empty, now filling and yet no conversation is ever as good as the one you formulate beforehand. Today at church Tara was asking me the not-so-uncommon question: do you miss France yet? To which I replied, oh, I don’t know, I guess sometimes. But thatContinue reading “Missing”
At home
Stayed awake with one brother and Kelsey, who is up for Thanksgiving, until they got tired. Silly children. Haven’t laughed so much in a long time. Ok, maybe yesterday. Daniel (the silent 16-year-old): I usually fast and pray and then get advice before I even talk, but with her (he shakes his head, just thinkingContinue reading “At home”
Vocab
The kitchen serves as a meeting place, which means I often sit here and wait for something to happen, such as Gunn wandering in to complain how much I try his patience. The other day he really shot himself in the foot, though. We were talking about the unfortunate name “Tristan Virgin,” who is aContinue reading “Vocab”
The injury
His tears fouling the grease paint on his cheeks, he sat on the sidelines, his arm bound to his side with an extra jersey. It was not so much the pain of his collar bone lying snapped in half beneath his pads as the knowledge that he was out for the rest of the season.Continue reading “The injury”
Courtship Prep
A crowd of good-looking lads and lasses sat at a bar, dressed in sweaters, funky socks, and ironical hats. A few smoked roll-your-owns. A few more sipped drinks (coke and rum, martinis, and microbrew). The girls outnumbered the boys, and the boys, instead of cashing in on this, leaning into the table to shout downContinue reading “Courtship Prep”
Cannon AE-1
Being newly bored, since school just got out, I have just gone and bought a camera — a Cannon AE-1 Program. I’ve wanted one for a long time, and have regretted not owning one during my travels to China and Europe. The amazing subjects are a little degraded by the fact that they are nowContinue reading “Cannon AE-1”
Non-police state
Yesterday night (after telling my friend I didn’t want to drive because I might get pulled over) I got pulled over for the second time in my life. For crossing the center line and otherwise driving like someone switching the radio station/driving drunk/checking my milage to made sure I wasn’t going to run out ofContinue reading “Non-police state”
Botkin Creative 