The universe bears the bruises of collisions—a blue sound, verging on purple, a split nebula, blood in the crown of a supernova.
From “The Bruised Universe” by David Miller
Contributors: Sara K. Bennet, Michael A. Ferro, Douglas Koziol, David Lohrey, Kathryn McMaho, Lois Ruskai Melina, David Mille, Ken Poyner
While all the pieces were lovely, I particularly enjoyed the short story “Industry & Idleness” by Michael Ferro. It was great to get an introspective look at a crumbled marriage that had nothing to do with people cheating. Also, it was refreshing to see the atypical role of gender in this one.
While reading Mr. Ferro’s piece, “Industry and Idleness,” the image of Grant Wood’s painting, “American Gothic,” comes to mind. The painting depicts what one senses as a long married rural couple. The couple are physically close, yet the man stares blankly ahead, the wife peering earnestly across her husband to some unknown destination. Ferro takes up the theme of the disenchanted rural wife with a cold and calculating, yet darkly humorous style. He punches the story with symbolic gestures of idle yearning, the woman’s penchant for a “city noise” sleep aid, the twin marital bed that dissatisfies her. Ferro cleverly reminds us sadly but truly that not much has changed since that Depression-era painting.