In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

BARBARA PRESNELL 497 I am waiting to die, she told me two nights ago. Now she says how good these beans will taste with a spoonful of grease and a bite of cornbread. CLARISSA AND THE SECOND COMING from Snake Dreams (1994) An ordinary woman, why her? she wonders. A sinner, even, not musically inclined, just one half-tuned ear and a taste for rock and roll. But there he is, night black hair that wind and rhythm wave, lip snarling when he smiles, eyes pure and blue as the sky over Graceland. She watches him, eight-year-old boy tight as an E string, riding his bike like any other boy. He doesn't know who he is, how he'll change the world, how already he's changed her, how at night while he sleeps, she kneels by his bed cradling his immaculate hand, whispering thank-yous for miracles to the moon and stars that stud the blue suede sky. ...

Share