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Uncle
Zebulon
By
J.R. Salling
Secure in the
tenancy
of our attic,
Uncle Zeb explores at night,
the notorious raps
and loud knockings
of his knees
pinpointing his movements.
When I cannot
sleep
he sometimes tries to teach me
how to fashion flies
for the venerable carp of Chantilly,
or how to dig trenches
that mustard gas will never find.
He speaks of
early morning raids
on piles of broken crockery
and pickle jars.
Or describes the crying mastiff
who came between him
and a shell still ticking.
But he never
speaks
of the Alsatian girl,
angelic in white,
who delivered the love potion
that made a ghost of him.
Whenever I
mention it,
he returns at once
to the attic.
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J.R. SALLING is an antiquarian bookseller specializing in the history of science and medicine, a fact sometimes reflected in his written work, more often not. In addition to
Antithesis Common, his writings have appeared in Pindeldyboz, Flashquake, Eyeshot, Eclectica, Thieves Jargon, Monkey Bicycle, Ten Thousand Monkeys, T-Zero, Word Riot, Mad Hatters' Review, Rose & Thorn, Bewildering Stories, Champagne Shivers, Poor Mojo's Almanac, Southern Gothic, Smokebox, Gator Springs Gazette, Opium
Magazine, and Slow Trains.
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