dennis scharnberg

Hanging by his toe,

Pecked at by a crow,

This the happy fate, sir,

Of the “leader”, oh!

Patrick Malmsey, Collected Poems.

“I expected this missive to be a long one, Jack. But here I am ending it.”

Will Bestwyck, Letters from Mr. Palindrome.

We believe that we are able to think clearly—to think straight, so to speak. But we are simply wrong about that.

Lance Brookland, Walking the Plank.

We lack clarity concerning how damaged we are.

Godfrey Tooke, Collected Aphorisms.

“It is visual art, Deborah. You’re right. But it is not about being looked at. That much I do know.”

Katie Davenport, Back to Brooklyn.

I soon realized that my recollections of the text were more enjoyable than a rereading of the book would be.

Paul Uccelo, The Enigma of the Box.

“There’s a hundred hidin’ places in this neighborhood, Johnny, and all of ’em good.”

Harold Nickleby, Captain Hugo and the Case of the Mystic Rhymes.

Thinking that we already know is the postmodernist replacement for curiosity.

Winslow Steele, Anatomy of Stasis.

“I have no talent whatsoever,” claimed Holden. “And I have the MFA degree to prove it.”

Katie Davenport, Back to Brooklyn.

I blink, therefore I am.

Victoria Salt, A Compendium of Opening Lines.