Gentian, By Basil Rosa, Published In The Argyle

GENTIAN

This appeared in The Argyle Literary Magazine, Issue #3, May 2024. Here is a link: https://www.theargylelitmag.com/nonfiction/gentian

And here below is an excerpt:

Gentian

It’s a day 

when I believe everything important happens far, far away from where I stand. Two of my brothers, Mark and Steven, and I are shoveling our driveway yet again. We breathe, we work with such vigor. When I pause, I look up to the sky and see it washed metallic and bright and empty of clouds, and I think of it as the boldest, most memorable sky I’ve ever seen. I can also see and smell the ripples of heat radiating from the roof of our iced-up house with its eaves toothed with icicles, and I remember that Mother is in the kitchen baking two loaves of her date-nut bread—one for us boys and one to sell at an annual church fundraiser....