Comfortable Madness William L. Alto

Dedication For Lisa, who showed me

still the only teacher who let me g

I reached for his face, but it was

the curb. I smoked and paced, and I

med thing? Was this the start of an

Science and Spirit They made physic

Target I was neither the biggest ki

Crossing the Line In English, we ta

Episode Voices and faces bubbled ou

God Porn Four girls stood in front

Lunch Color drained away except for

Telling Secrets Miss Tris sat with

Water I danced and Tayla played. Ta

“We have to do something,” Miss

Insomnia Sun rise. Jays screamed in

Love and Madness Our bed was old. K

Someday Queertopia was the last tab

There were no words. There were no

Voices and Visions Night. Everythin

Answered Questions Tayla sat in the

A Thing Homecoming. I didn’t want

I backed away. People were really s

Tayla rolled over and looked at me.

Delusions I was too cold. White air

Room A creek ran on the edge of tow

Questions Water dribbled through a

Show Folks came through the door, t

gathered in his fists and face. I s

“I love you,” he said. Was this

Spells in the Corner The music was

Silence. We looked at Tad. He shrug

The Mormons stumbled and turned. Th

“I understand,” Tayla said. “

PE I watched the game without watch

He got off the couch and came to me

Tayla grunted in her sleep. I didn

I didn’t know that for sure. Gid

How do you explain what it was like

Air seemed to slice through me. Par

Glass The room was mine. The walls

“I love you,” she said. Sweet w

“Turn away from sin,” he shoute

down and grabbed my arm. He hauled

Secrets Sadness verged on depressio

Real Enough Orion hung in the south

Escape Tayla and Angie took me to t

We crouched behind a hedge. The cop

Shit Follows Voices told me to run.

“You’re dying,” he said. Spot

Emergency Darkness. Thick, vast and

Friends Miss Tris and Tad came with

At the corner, I sat in a hard chai

Awkward Everyone stared at Angie an

The Dead On the edge of sleep, just

Real and Not Real Visiting hours st

I stared at the trees on the other

Home Part of me thought things woul

He was a wall of bone and muscle. H

She came back to the bathroom. “I

Tayla put on Duke Ellington. We hel

gulped down. That was it. This was

Worry Broken leg. Broken ribs. Disl

“She hates me,” I said, soundin

Soon I knew things. I knew someday

Open Communication Pain and oxy str

Tayla gave her the finger. I grinne

“You’ll make it,” Tad said. I

Love Oxy made everything okay. Not

Things Come Out “Sweet Jesus,”

Fight For days, we fought but we fo

“Really?” she asked. The word h

An old man stopped. He looked from

Faith There he was. Gid. In the win

The First Shot Queertopia. Tayla, r

Always and Forever I dreamed of lig

Temptation Last call. The stage emp

Empty Promises It started. But then

Gifts Music lifted into the air, br

Object of Admiration Mr. Skarey cal

Black birds came from the corners.

This Body I dreamed of music, compl

Miracles I was late. I was never la

laughing. I had nothing to laugh ab

“You’re talking religion,” Co