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and wonder, “What does the red time hide from me in the quiet that I know it always keeps?” 30
This Thing of Darkness. P.H. Spalletta Calvin “Matches” Malone, the Black albino boxer some consider to be the worst that ever lived, was a man of numerous and immediate trials. He was born in 1941, fatherless, in a broken-down caravan just outside of Criminy, Mississippi. His pale skin and red eyes terrified the doctor who birthed him—he ran back into town, leaving Calvin’s mother unconscious and Calvin bloody on the floor. The good doctor unknowingly started a tradition: most people who met Calvin would leave him in the same condition. He was born to suffer: a Black man who wasn’t black, and a white man who wasn’t White, Calvin was mistreated and hated by both sides. Indeed he was, during those dark years in Mississippi, the only thing that united the town of Criminy. Malone’s childhood, if it could be called that, was spent confined to the caravan in an attempt to save him from the burning daylight and the curious eyes of Criminy. But rumors spread. Everyone knew that Sarah Malone was hiding something in her caravan—something only seen in glimpses through trees and windows. Eventually, when Calvin was into his teens, it became impossible for Sarah to cage him. He would wander around the edge of town, often suffering severe beatings if he strayed too close. Later, he would be known for his ability to withstand all manner of punishment in the ring, but at fifteen Calvin still ran home crying. The more superstitious of Criminy’s residents saw him as some unholy wretch—but Sarah Malone would wipe away her son’s blood and tears and tell him stories about his father. John Malone, she said, was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, shot down over North Africa in the war. When Calvin was eighteen, the Malone caravan burned down with Sarah inside. The townspeople saw the flames in the night and ran to investigate, finding Calvin outside on his knees, howling at the blaze in rage and pain. Later they would discover that the fire had been caused by 31
Page 1: e s p r i t f a l l 2 0 0 7
Page 4 and 5: Fall 2007 Awards The Berrier Poetry
Page 7 and 8: Frank Alison Swety She combed her h
Page 9 and 10: hear about their daughter? Left Pri
Page 11 and 12: 9 Katherine Nullet
Page 13 and 14: Teh Modern Man in Repose!!!1, or: A
Page 15 and 16: …so? i don’t know—i’ll ask
Page 17 and 18: they dont grow on trees tom If I fi
Page 19 and 20: 17 Andi Frankenburger
Page 21 and 22: Great Grandpa vs. The Last Cowboy B
Page 23 and 24: 21 Jenn Dice
Page 25 and 26: A knee pushing into her space distu
Page 27 and 28: of the ceiling. It forces her eyes
Page 29 and 30: Dirty Dishes Andi Frankenburger Pos
Page 31: The Haunt Patrick J. O’Kernick As
Page 35 and 36: and a question he usually ignored.
Page 37: 1998. The citizens of Criminy follo
Page 41 and 42: Acknowledgements Esprit appreciates

esprit - The University of Scranton

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