The Popularity of Bombs
By Richard Downing
“Not tonight, dear, they’re cluster bombing the town this evening.”
“ … ?”
“You didn’t know? It’s been all over the news since this afternoon, probably even leak into the next news cycle. This is the big deal right now. Bigger even than Lamar.”
“ … ”
“I know he’s not doing well.”
“ … ”
“I know rehab’s not easy. I read what’s going on.”
“ … ?”
“I don’t know when exactly the bombing will begin. Sometime between 5 and 7 is what they said on the news.”
“ … ?”
“I forget which news. “
“ … ?”
“No, it wasn’t 13. I’d have remembered if it was 13. They have such chemistry, those two. No one reads the news better than our Tom and Beth.”
“ … ?”
“Yes, I heard that.”
“… ”
“Yes, it was loud.”
“ … ?”
“No, I’m not sure what a cluster bomb is. It might just be a way of bombing and not even a bomb.”
“ … ?”
“No, I don’t think they’ll hit our house. They’re not after us, for goodness sake. We’ve never done anything. There’s no reason to target us. I’m sure it’s someone else on the street, probably someone at the other end, someone we barely know. And don’t worry so much. They can be very precise when they want to be.”
“ … ?”
“No, I don’t know who “they” is—are? It’s not up to us to know these things anyway. That’s their job. So relax. We’re not on any lists that I know of. You’re not on a list, are you? I remember that time you went outside and looked around.”
“ … ”
“I know that was years ago. But still, you did it. And they asked you why, remember?
“ … ”
“Yes, and you told them you weren’t sure why, that you’d just felt the need to look around but that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be and you’d just as soon be back inside, which is where they told you to go, which is good because if you hadn’t been inside you’d never have known about Lamar and Khloe and all the rest.”
Richard Downing has won the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, New Delta Review, and New Woman Magazine writing contests, received the Solstice editor’s award, and been given a Pushcart nomination. His work appears nationally and internationally in over fifty journals including Arts & Letters, Malahat Review, Juked, and Two Thirds North. He holds a PhD in English, is a voting rights activist, dog lover, and longtime environmentalist
GJ Gillespie, a collage artist living in a 1928 farmhouse on Whidbey Island, WA, has garnered 22 awards and exhibited his work in 65 shows, with over 168 publications featuring his creations. Alongside his studio practice, Gillespie runs Leda Art Supply, a company specializing in premium sketchbooks, channeling his passion for empowering other artists. Whether through his own vivid collage compositions or his exceptional tools, Gillespie remains committed to the transformative power of art. Gary Gillespie, artist https://www.gjgillespieartistic.com/