64.4 :: ‘hunters and gamblers’ by ryan ridge
‘hunters and gamblers’ by ryan ridge // dark sky books, 2011
64.4
the opening flash fiction
blistered my fingertips
and captivated my eyes
ridge delivered deep meaning in such short bursts
from vultures to abstract fairies to unemployed astrologists
like this
We reached out to shake hands, but they were already shaking
and this
It was the best of times, it was the Patty Hearst of times
that last one: the emotion/anxiety of a generation in such a tight line
but as the stories got longer, ridge began to lose his way
they became funnier in an odd way
more bizarro than astute
forced funny rather than situational comedy
some cheap Bukowski copies
the ‘holiest of holies’ was the worse at this
wanted ridge to stick to flashing guns
rather than making long-winded booby traps
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