Howard V. Hendrix
Bumbershoot
Night, a gun-blue umbrella tricked with distant suns and planets,
is not to be opened indoors — more bad luck, or worse.
Hold it to the mind’s sky. Finger the trigger in its handle.
A meteor bullets the firmament. The universe falls shut with a whoosh.
Shake the drops of the stars from the loose skin of the darkness.
Think of nothing for which to wish. Step into a different house.
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Howard V. Hendrix has held jobs ranging from hospital phlebotomist to fish hatchery manager to university professor and administrator. His degrees range from a BS in Biology (Xavier University, 1980) to an MA (1982) and PhD in English Literature (1987), both from University of California, Riverside.
Hendrix’s first four published novels appeared from Ace Books (Penguin Putnam): Lightpaths (1997), Standing Wave (1998), Better Angels (1999), and Empty Cities of the Full Moon (2001). His fifth novel, The Labyrinth Key, appeared from Ballantine Del Rey in April 2004. His sixth novel, The Spears of God, was published by Del Rey in December 2006.
Editor’s note: “Bumbershoot” won a Dwarf Stars Award (Best Poem of 10 lines or less) from the Science Fiction Poetry Association.
Photo credit: Grizzshop Milky Way Umbrella.
Copyrighted by the author unless otherwise noted.
Art Director: Bonnie Brunish
