The Office

After rummaging through the filing cabinet for some time, she picked up a couple of loose-leaf papers that had been scattered below the thicker files. Smeared with dust and slightly wrinkled, she gradually realized that she had discovered exactly what she had been hunting for. Abruptly, she pressed the hold button again.

“Yes, sir, I’ve found your chart and we do have your name on record. I apologize for the inconvenience; it had been lost under some of our heavier cases. Unfortunately five discrepancies have been noted on your file- two on page 164 and three more between pages 324 and 325. As of last month, your file has officially been stamped ‘Friend Zone.’”

She licked her lips in weary anticipation. “Sir, sir, we apologize for the late notice, our communication systems may not have been working on that particular day. Occasionally, we allow Best Friends Remodeling to update our wiring, and this may have been one of those times. We are, however willing to give you complete compensation…”

She flicked her wrist slightly to the left so that the phone drifted from her ear and hung lazily in the air. She sighed. It must be Monday, she thought. The hours she had left in the day were beginning to drag.

“No, sir, coming to the office is not an option. Big Brother Security has been our 24-hour safety provider for the past three years, and they do not entertain conflict. You may, however, re-file in six months and receive a follow-up appointment. For the time being, sir, I’m sorry to tell you that the Heart’s Offices will be closing until further notice. Thank you, have a good day.”

While the ring of the freshly hung up phone was still heard in the air, she slipped off her patent heels and swiveled in her chair, watching her stocking-covered feet turn in low circles. If only all the calls were that easy.

Candy Canes

Ten-year-old Henry sat on a wooden box beside a dirt road, holding a sign that read: 

'Candy Cane for Sale, 5 Cents a Pound'

See the night before all the slum kids in Jacksonville ran through Mr. Harrison's plantation

and picked all the cotton covered by the blood of slaves-

Candy cane cotton

It sold cheap,

It sold well,

White people would use it to stuff their pillows and line their quilts,

"Nothing like the blood of a Nigger to keep you warm at night"

Twelve-year-old Sula stood in a cobblestone doorway on Main Street, holding a sign that read:

'Candy Cane for Sale, 5 Cents a Night'

See the night before, Sula's Master, Mr. Johnson, decided it was 'bout time she began paying him back,

So he sent young virgin Sula to hold her sign and wait to leave her

Crimson virginity on the sheets of a bed she had never slept in before

Candy cane sheets

It sold cheap,

It sold well,

White men would fulfill fantasies here, sleep with the Devil here, 'Warning the black devil sleeps here'

"Nothing like the blood of a Nigger to keep you warm at night"

Seven-year-old James sat on a checkered blanket while his mother unpacked his picnic-

He held no sign

See, the night before, James' daddy raided a slave house and picked a Nigger to be lynched

at the picnic that day

Admission was free

White people from nearby towns crowded into the park

See, there was no candy cane for sale here

Because here, the blood of a Nigger would never be touched, let alone absorbed by anything white

"I'm surprised these devils even bleed"

Give Rise

For centuries, elephants have been used in religious ceremonies and decorated accordingly with paints and jewels. At times they were even worshiped. Not only are these magnificent creatures able to experience learning, memory, and play, but also grief, compassion and self-awareness. The Embroidered Elephant is an arena where such a mix of characteristics will also give rise. Through short story, poetry, and essay, I will voice my views of the world and the things that fill it. The intent is that the reader will be invoked to question the beauty in the beast and the beast in the beauty.