Three Green Notebooks Left in a Cedar Chest on Elm Street

around the door of the wood stove, feeling the truth of his words in the heat on my face. The big fire of the town, the gossip, and the constant struggle to hold a position had only left cold ash.

“The juncos were thick on the porch today,” I said, changing the subject.

“They like the cracked corn,” Arthur said. “The blue jays will continue reading …