This collection gathers short pieces of sentence pie where Russell Edson stretched language as if words were made of silly putty, as if words were the silly puddy neck of a silly puddy language goose. Here are two of my favorites from the book. And at the very bottom, below the illustration of a man all dressed up in coat and tie, is one of my own microfictions. Enjoy.


WHAT A MAN CAN SEE
There was a tower where a man said I can live. After grief it can happen that he comes. Then he saw summer its field and its tree. He heard the wind and he saw a cloud.


THE FALL
There was a man who found two leaves and came indoors holding them out saying to his parents that he was a tree.

To which they said then go into the yard and do not grow in the living room as your roots may ruin the carpet.

He said I was fooling I am not a tree and he dropped his leaves.

But his parents said look it is fall.

NO SHILLY-SHALLY
Mr. Snorkle cuts a grapefruit in half and presses each half against his ears. “I want to hear what it sounds like to squeeze a grape.”

“You’re all mixed up, Mr. Snorkel.”

Mr. Snorkle squeeses harder. “I hear it! I hear it! It sounds like wet water.”

“You’re completely and totally mixed up, Mr. Snorkle.”

“I never shilly-shally. My ears hear the sound of wet grape. I squeeze, therefore I am.”