by Cleo Nuckels I am the new $1.29 Nacho Fries. I am the commercial about them on ABC. I am eating them in my car in the Kroger parking lot. I am Kroger-brand cat litter that only costs a few bucks because it comes in a bag, but it spills…

Cleo Nuckels Marty is lonely, he’s broke, he’s ugly, he’s mean. He’s the type of guy that you hope you never become. He’s lost in the midwest in an endless purgatory of bland offices, convenience stores and messy basements. You can either be disgusted or intrigued when he pours Cool…

It was Saturday morning, which meant Felix and I woke up groggy at 9 a.m. His phone alarm was never enough to wake him up. So, I rolled over in bed and started shaking him real hard. He groaned. I pinched his nose. He sputtered. I slapped him and said…

Joey and Doug. Those were the two guys that shoveled the mud. They did other things sometimes, but today, they were shoveling mud. It was a simple task, assigned by the boss as he sat at that white round plastic table surrounded by folding chairs, glaring at the cigarettes dangling…

“Dude, there’s this huge sword stuck in a rock behind the Seven Eleven,” said Marlon, always a little too loud. Arthur inserted a bony finger in each ear. Everything about him was bony. His kneecaps poked through his legs, poorly designed levers that carried his torso around like mechanized bendy…

I knew three police officers by name. Arvin, Dave, and Mark. All of them were shaped the same, legs stuffed into their slacks like sausages, always making sure their steps covered more ground than the average citizen, faces misshapen from years of yelling and frowning, arms beefed up but sagging…

black shoes, under canopy of four glowing bare feet: i’m sorry if i offended you. my black shoes left alone, my safety, my home! when will i take your comfort again? my black shoes still in her bedroom. i bet you felt history beneath you. Other Boys’ Shoes in your…

The heart of everything Practices averted glances For my pleasure. I see how They stare. These white blood cells attack me: The Disease That Won’t Stop Smiling. I weave in and out of drug deals, The thread tying their whole empire together. The winners, the ones who look Ashamed, who…