Americana Stories is a weekly feature of poetry and prose that examines and re-envisions American culture. 

To view previous Americana Stories, visit our archives.

Humor

Notes on MLK History Lesson for Immigrant Students, by Prudence Soobrattie

“Can anyone tell me who Martin Luther King Jr. was?”

“A president!” Samira shouts. At least she is paying attention. Gizelle, who sits next to her, is scrolling on her cell phone.

“No,” I reply. “Any other guesses?”

“Wasn’t that the man who helping the black people?” Angela asks.

Read Prudence’s work here.

Poetry

Even If, by Ali Asadollahi

All the time
we denied it and                    we forgot
instead of a tree
we used to put our aiming eyes on a rifle
-to hide and seek-

Some days, I forget
I’ve choked on blood and each time
I should cough up a piece of my burnt city
from my chest.

Read Ali’s work here.

Poetry

Filipino Girl, Coney Island, New York, c. 1905, by Isabel Cristina Legarda

Say she wasn’t perched on a wooden bench in Dreamland.
Say she was enjoying the amusement park
instead of being kept in its human zoo.
Say there weren’t men in suits gawking at her.

Read Isabel’s work here.

Prose

At the Breakfast Table, by Francine Witte

I’m staring down Dooley again. I’m thinking where you goin’ today, Muthafuck? He is covered in missing Loretta, his blue eyes clouded with a coat of longing they get when he hasn’t seen her for awhile. You want eggs? I ask him, and when he says, yeah, scrambled, I tell him ha! we don’t have any. I want to say that maybe Loretta does, but I keep that in my mouth and suck it like a hard candy.

Our apartment is too small for all the hate Dooley and I have for one another. The hate knocks at the walls every night as we go to bed, try to dream each other gone, but then morning comes and the hate wakes up with us same as always.

Read Francine’s work here.

Poetry

Starting Fires in the Midwest, by Derek Mong

Bank the former owner’s timber
then spread a grate of storm-wracked 

branches. Now tent the kindling 
and tip a match into the news

you can barely bare to read. 
Let the beaded heat bob and broaden

Read Derek’s work here.