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They were an off red color, the color of autumn leaves right before they turn brown.They were maimed, with burns on the edges, scratches near the heels, and worn, smooth soles. Allison’s combat boots were used to the wear and tear of the day, but now they lay at the feet of her bed, slowly collecting dust.Everything else in her room had been carefully rearranged into a tidy space, except for her shoes. Against her white carpet, they looked like an ugly scar, the type that doe

I always knew we had arrived when I would see the mountain with the face that had a nose like mine carved into it and when the loud buzz of the cicadas would welcome us back. The purple minivan Dad would pack us into—a 2000 Chrysler Voyager— would bump along the cobblestone road that led to the back corral of my grandparents house. The steel gates, once a bright shade of turquoise, were rusted over and creaked when anybody opened them. The car would be parked there among the

The slight breeze is unforgiving and warm, rustling through the droopy leaves of palm trees and plants. Birds, bugs, and people hide from the cloudless sky. Spring in the desert has set in which means the busy season has started. The distinct sound of the bells attached to his cart are heard before he is seen. Each step he takes creates a jingle as he walks down the cracked street pavement. The heat of the day does not stop him. It bares down his back, into the joints of his