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ROSE i. Milwaukee฀Avenue,฀2006, and฀the฀lone฀rose฀insists: Red!฀Rose-Red! But฀the฀little฀girl on฀the฀trike฀plows past—she’s฀all฀about฀Disney: Snow฀White,฀Sleeping฀Beauty. The฀girl฀is฀half-watched by฀three฀teen฀dads who฀could฀be฀brothers. Soon฀the฀rose฀will฀draw its฀shades,฀a฀failed฀enterprise, and฀its฀bee฀will฀buzz into฀the฀sky.฀The฀three dads฀will฀storm฀Garibaldi’s, flashing฀forged฀IDs. The฀girl’s฀dad฀drinks pale฀ale.฀When฀he฀sings he’s฀embarrassing. No฀one’s฀ear฀cocks, and฀the฀noise฀level rises—not฀just฀sports chatter,฀not฀TV, but฀a฀deep฀roar฀pouring like฀sewage฀under฀the฀street. It฀keeps฀overflowing into฀Lake฀Michigan, until฀the฀bay฀clouds 9 and฀gulls฀falter.฀The฀dad bobs.฀He฀wavers.฀He’s฀too฀drunk to฀hold฀his฀voice฀close, so฀it฀goes.฀Mouthing฀Johnny฀Cash it฀ups฀and฀leaves, ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀catching฀and฀lodging with฀all฀the฀empty plastic฀bags฀in฀the฀trees. ii. I฀went฀down,฀down,฀down in฀a฀burning฀ring฀of฀fire, down฀to฀the฀sewer where฀the฀goldfish฀gleam: they฀are฀not฀pets.฀Their฀spines flex฀like฀little฀mermaids, like฀creatures฀in฀a฀sleeping girl’s฀dream.฀The฀rose฀has฀learned its฀lesson:฀hush.฀Don’t฀deepen, don’t฀redden,฀keep฀still like฀a฀bead฀of฀water in฀an฀enchanted state฀without฀hills. 10 ...

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