'I was about to rawdog this AA meeting, no phone, no tobacco. I did have the faint taste of an edible from earlier, which was my problem. I'd take one, forget I'd taken it, then take another, & this would go on until I had no edibles.' Xairan Ray mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio…

'When you’re battling addiction, they teach you not to live in your war stories because they feed the worst parts of ourselves. I’ve never walked the twelve steps so it became easier to live in the worst of it than work to get out of it.' David P. Staggs mrbullbull.com/newbull/creati…

'Life is a hollow horse, but riding it hurts. I’ve considered other ways of living, but I’ve grown accustomed to the junk mail. It reminds me that although I’ve been nudged to the margins, I’m still part of the world.' - Salvatore Difalco mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio…

'He was good at killing men, hated killing time. Where he took pleasure was walking down the sidewalk knowing people he’d never met thought he was a mean old man. Hell, he’d been a mean young one, no reason to change now.' - Rob Pierce mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio…

'Deron’s made it his life’s goal to obtain the Ultimate Customer Satisfaction rating by J.D. Power. One of the men emits a bubbly fart. The two of them sniff, then cough. They’ve known each other long enough and the stakes are too high.' Josh mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio…

Red Dirt Poet BULL Really thought provoking and moving piece, thank you for writing and sharing. I’m struggling to put into words how it hits but it resonates on many levels, tho I never personally served in the military.

My piece about serving through the generational aftermath of 9/11, and watching that come full circle with the Afghanistan withdrawal, is now live BULL. It’s a reckoning, a reflection, a tribute to all the boys in the hall over our generation’s Vietnam.

'We all nodded & chuckled, smug in our assessment that the pilot of that first plane screwed up. It was unfortunate, certainly, as lives were undoubtedly lost. But heads would roll, & we’d move on.' Red Dirt Poet mrbullbull.com/newbull/creati…

'Names littered the only log of the burials in existence-- seemed to cast a shadow that swallowed the light. He located her gravesite in the exact spot where the backhoe sat ready to deposit the remains in a hill of dust and bones.'Jean Wolfersteig mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio…

'One night a year in early July, the men and boys in swimsuits squat at the pool’s ledge to await two lifeguards' whistles. The chlorine is all they smell, the burbling water is all they hear and—blindfolded—they see only black.' Perry 🕊️🇵🇸🍉 mrbullbull.com/newbull/flash-…

Considering content creators as I find them out in the world—trying to infer their skillset, audience, sexual activity—only ever saddens me.

I often overestimate my empathy.

Read Whipping Boy by Lamb in BULL

mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio…

'The father preferred to talk about nature, about ideas, but neither of his kids were old enough for that now, so he found himself talking about overdoses.'Andrew Bertaina mrbullbull.com/newbull/creati…

'George is anti-gun. He once put his hand on my shoulder and said, I’m just glad that you and I aren’t toxic males. I laughed and said, Speak for yourself, and things have been off between us since.' Lamb mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio…

'The father preferred to talk about nature, about ideas, but neither of his kids were old enough for that now, so he found himself talking about overdoses.' Andrew Bertaina mrbullbull.com/newbull/creati…

'My father-in-law is anti-gun. He once put his hand on my shoulder & said, 'I’m just glad that you and I aren’t toxic males.' I laughed and said, 'Speak for yourself,' and things have been off between us since.' @read_lamb mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio…

Stephanie read this at Test in March—great to be able to read it now! Love this one.

'Jimmy wasn't a person I would've considered having sex with. We had a symbiotic relationship in which all parties benefited except everyone else in the class, yet in a room full of mirrors, it’s easy to trust no one else is looking .' Stephanie Young mrbullbull.com/newbull/creati…

'I’ve always wanted to have ancestors who'd tell me what to do. A rough Irishman with a leathery face. A stout German with a simple but unshakable worldview. But I only had a father who died when I was a teenager. So I read about Churchill.' David Yourdon (on hiatus) mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio…

I just read: mrbullbull.com/newbull/fictio… published by BULL. Definitely worth a read.