Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not?

Tout de Suite, Encore

Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not? Tout de Suite, Encore

the author wishes to say she deeply, madly loves Jake

Copyright 2011 Janet Ference

www.janetference.com www.bluefernpress.com www.twitter.com/bluefernpress www.facebook.com/bluefernpress www.scribd.com/bluefernpress/documents

Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not? Tout de Suite, Encore

Janet Ference

Paula grew up on a cul-de-sac. Now she lives on a dead end. She's traversed many and many a roundabout in the interim, all leading her here. ***** They closed a city block for Zoe's wedding. The street had a view of San Francisco's skyline. It is hoped her marriage will be just as nice. ***** The magnolia tree and the climbing rose were at odds in the small fenced yard, both overgrown and blooming bellicosely. God laughed at them. ***** Linda Rose became a rose. It happened in her sleep. She dreamed the scent of an American Beauty, but she woke to the tears of a Cherokee. ***** He rode a 1988 Harley, nothing cherry about it, caked in desert dust. Lily took a look and knew that man's sidecar had been empty for years. ***** The hummingbirds were much too big here. They immodestly hovered over Em's impatiens, shocking her. It was good and hard to love California. ***** His lashes were impossibly long. His eyes were warm and lovely. This was his secret, behind thick glasses, a secret he shared only with her. ***** Dick liked to sing Tom Lehrer's "The Elements," the pure version of 102. His son rapped the updated table. Periodically, his wife went nuts. Page 1

Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not? Tout de Suite, Encore

Janet Ference

Two children were debating the existence of God. This went on awhile, until their mutt jumped up and licked their faces. That stopped that. ***** The streetlight often blinked when Lucy passed beneath it. She made wild kinetic energy. One night she stopped a switchblade with a stare. ***** Mary did not have a little lamb. She tweeted, "Have a little lam," meaning ham, thinking breakfast. Snow-white fleece was pure conjecture. ***** The turtle ate the lily pads, then wisely left. The copperhead bit the dog and got shot. The catfish and koi are fed and fat. It's his pond. ***** There's not much grass in The City, so she rarely sees clover. When she does, it's been so long, she doesn't even try to make a crown of it. ***** Folks called my brother Bear. Grandma said he come by it honest. Daddy was a big, gentle soul, but he killed a man for trifling with Mama. ***** Byron said he loved the sync in his Jaguar. Betty pictured him washing his hands. She knew he wasn't for her. That was just too fastidious. ***** The men rappelled from the roof with buckets and squeegees. They did it for cash, no scaffold, no training. Kids watched it like a circus. Page 2

Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not? Tout de Suite, Encore

Janet Ference

Deb's dog sometimes humped her leg. A friend posted a photo on Facebook. It was auto-tagged. Deb ran for Congress. It hit the cover of Time. ***** Jean finds it easier to pray on sunny days, so she begs forgiveness for not praying on rainy days. After the flood, she stops apologizing. ***** June prays everyday for the injured, the ill, the grieving. After the tornado, overwhelmed and confused, she prays intently for knowingness. ***** Joan often hears God when she prays, a gentle voice offering comfort. After the wildfire, she prays mightily for such comfort for others. ***** Their car is older than their son. He's graduating high school. They've hired a limo for his prom, using grocery money. He invites his Mom. ***** Two firemen have died. Cold rain is ruining the pistachio crop. Yosemite Falls is breathtaking this year. This isn't a story. It's the news. ***** "I'm here," said Mom on the stairs. "I'm here," said Sis in the hall. "I'm here," said Dad, holding the boy. "I'm here," said God each time. ***** Diane is counting the reasons. She's up to 46. She's stuck. When there are 100 reasons to do it, she'll ask her mechanic out for coffee. Page 3

Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not? Tout de Suite, Encore

Janet Ference

Evan never killed them. He took pictures. He'd shot lady bugs, a praying mantis, a daddy long legs, and fireflies. He was a prodigy at five. ***** A man was having a heart attack. A stranger offered help. The man refused it. The stranger stayed. The man called 911. The stranger waited. ***** Deb had a crick in her neck, or maybe her shoulder. She was in pain. She didn't mean to overfeed Ed's goldfish that week. Still, it croaked. ***** The space where the tree used to be is full of sunlight. Birdsong has given way to stillness. Cass longs for a breeze through willow leaves. ***** Joy made tea brewed from the tiny hips of her heirloom roses. She served it in pale antique cups. Then she sat primly and savored it, alone. ***** Caleb Jackson, 60, Vietnam vet, lives high in a hole under an overpass. Friday, the State rousts him. On Memorial Day, he remakes his nest. ***** (part 1 of 2) She might not have noticed the hula hoop in the tree, if the ladder hadn't blocked her path. She might not have noticed the ladder,

(part 2 of 2) if the child hadn't fallen from it. Evelyn might not have thanked God all day, if she hadn't caught that child. Page 4

Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not? Tout de Suite, Encore

Janet Ference

Edgar Brinksman found $987 in a blue-and-yellow Easter basket on his front stoop. He counted it, added $13, and put it on the next stoop. ***** "Yellow is a very rare color for a moth orchid," Carolyn's ten-year-old son said. Then he plucked it, like a kid, and handed it to her. ***** It took the crew three hours to change the billboard on that brick wall, unrolling, pasting, and smoothing the pieces. They discovered Bali. ***** The backyards all ran together. The boxy little record player spun 45's. We danced galloping polkas, and our Moms weren't afraid of the sun. ***** Nia did her eyes precisely. She plucked her brows severely, used no mascara, and feathered lipstick on her lids. This was in lieu of crying. ***** Edmond had a secret he polished like stone. One day he threw it into a pond. The dark secret in the clear water shone like a mirror of God. ***** A mature gingko grew golden outside her classroom. The crone told us its resurrection tale. Today a young gingko is greening, and I see her. ***** Lions, tigers, and bears were the 7-pound terrier's toys. He stalked, pounced, and shook them to death. Then he lifted his leg on the witch. Page 5

Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not? Tout de Suite, Encore

Janet Ference

Her grandma left no recipe, but Dawn remembered the coconut soaking in sweet cream before it topped the seven layers. God was in that cake. ***** In the mirror, Liv saw a crinkled, aging woman. Nathan said he saw a clever brow, curious eyes, and a kaleidoscopic face. He wasn't lying. ***** There once was a hoarder named Hazel. She had so many shih-tzus, she didnt know what to do. Her son said, Move. Her 61 dogs flew to NYC. ***** Mallard ducks will squawk at midnight, given provocation. Jolting, the soldier learned this his first night home. Kids dipped into his pond. ***** Peg wished to God she could pray. God knows, she'd never known how. She was too old to learn. Besides, the hospital chaplain was a Buddhist. ***** He smells of fish and sweat. His catch is unsafe. They both know that. There's a sign at the pier. Yet he's provided for her. She's blessed. ***** Free dogs and San Franciscans went out in the noonday sun to protest a leash law. Each took a ticket, tore it in two, but paid it promptly. ***** A man at the bus stop wore shorts revealing an amputated leg. A little dog, walking by, jumped up and licked the stump. Both were delighted. Page 6

Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not? Tout de Suite, Encore

Janet Ference

He was vegan, but he'd never heard of succotash. He didn't care for her grits. Her carrots were too candied. Mae wished she'd fried the ham. ***** That Victorian changed color 5 times. The palm grew 12 feet. In 32 years of passing by, Celia saw only the unchanged room where 1 boy died. ***** 30% of the people in the country of Alba live in a state of bliss. 70% live in a state of ignorance. Therefore, statistics show 100% bliss. ***** Ann drew her God with crayons as a girl. Now an old woman, when she stills her mind to pray, she sees that same orange and red ball of fire. ***** Six-year-old Tina knelt on the driveway for two hours chalking intricate lacy patterns. Her Mama told her it would rain. She just smiled. ***** Seashells cluttered every surface of her house, but she lived nowhere near the sea. Jed imagined her past, a girl rising wet from the waves. ***** A full moon shines a bright white path toward golden lights dotting the black hills across the bay. Diane prays more easily on such nights. ***** A Chinese woman boarded a subway train with a paper bag stapled shut. Two men stared as the bag jumped to life. She said, Its a chicken. Page 7

Oh yes, Oh yes, Why not? Tout de Suite, Encore

Janet Ference

The bus was shrink-wrapped in Calvin Klein models. Inside, Nina gazed out her window. Outside, Mike saw a pouty navel, not his weeping wife. ***** Jack and Jill should have gone downhill in the first place. That's where the spring-fed creek was. They had a bad map. This was before GPS. ***** Hank said the world was always coming to an end. Molly said the earth was constantly renewing itself. They disagreed for over fifty years. ***** Jo gazed up, searching for God. Cy looked down, watching a Lady Jane tulip fold its petals closed as dusk fell. He didnt know God was lost. *****

Le Fin

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