In one glance he took in the second man, though to call him that was a stretch, hanging like an appendage off the first one’s side. Your name sir, the only thing he could think to say. Fire, the appendage said. And this is Water, it added in a high pitched wheeze… – Chris Abani in Black Clock No. 11

Drowning is like a headlock, I thought. Nobody ever told me that. That would have been an effective warning against swimming alone. Drowning is like an eternal, bullying headlock. – from William Walsh’s Pathologies

he is heading to the tracks
with the perfect smooth stone
to derail the passenger train
his father is returning on

– Lincoln Michel at elimae

What it did, at least at first, was exaggerate my natural curiosity and need for emotional affection. While on cocaine I became as harmlessly ravenous as Cookie Monster. – Tom Bissell at the Guardian

A burst of fire is a breaking wave. A boom and crack. Then shatter-heaving glass, red mist, and the car rocking, leaping, buckling, collapsing. The universe roars. – Sean Lovelace at Corium Magazine

The loose bachelor herd of wildebeests, having no territory to defend and therefore no stray estrous females to court, decided to make it a Blockbuster night. – Tamm Walters at EV. So many quotable lines from this one. Go read it now.

If you were to see a viking today, it’s best you go some other way because they’d kill you very well and all your gold they’d certainly sell. — David Foster Wallace via TFT

An old man in a blue SUV drove me from Nevada into Arizona. He gave me fifty bucks and his address in New Mexico and I promised to mail the money when I got home. He’s still waiting. Hopefully he’ll die soon, relieving me of one more expectation I can never live up to. — from Barry Graham at Everyday Genius.

“The only onus on the writer is to be fucking outstanding. To be undeniable. I think a lot of good journals would take a similar view.” Sam Lipsyte at Vice.

Some bold but arguable statements happening over at Deckfight.