Gina Forberg is an elementary school teacher in Westport, Connecticut.  She received her Masters of Arts Creative Writing at Manhattanville College.  Her work has appeared in The New Delta Review, The Mochila Review, Slant Magazine, Blueline Press, Squaw Valley Review, Anderbo Magazine,

 

 

The Turn

Maybe there is gratitude in the map
quest that steered us wrong, that allowed
us to meet our mate when we missed
the church, that prevented the accident
at mile 54. Perhaps we found our dream
house, a new favourite restaurant.  
What if we returned to the simple scribble
on the page, the loops, curves of a writer’s
hand, the elegance of slant, the enjambment
of words. I’d  like to believe he is
intrigued by the white space, cares less
about cross-outs, erasures, knows not
what direction he is going.  For us
to worry about diction, syntax,
punctuation is to misplace the emotion,
to resist the turn we need to make.
The starts, the stops are what drive
our engines.  The setting aside restores us.
If we are willing to lose ourselves
in the extra miles we may be surprised
at our destination. If we are lucky,
a reader will follow close behind.

 

The Conditions and Events of The Winter Olympic Games as a Metaphor for Sex

i.  
Snowfall must be sufficient enough to guarantee beyond question a heavy cover
during the prelimary practice.

ii.
Altitude should be sufficient to guarantee snowfall without unduly affecting the
respiration of the athletes.
                                
iii.
If you are going to be a skiier choose freestyle. It has no restrictions.

iv.
It is important for a woman to use her hips during the turns in the downhill slalom.

v.
In classic freestyle, skiiers use the traditional straight-striding technique and do not
deviate from the parallel tracks.

vi.
The word “hockey” derives itself from the French word “hocquet” which refers to
crooked stick.

vii.
Skaters must wear rubber caps to reduce the amount of wind resistance.

viii.
In the luge there is no rule that says a doubles team must comprise members of the
same sex, but traditionally, men have ridden together with the larger man lying on top
for a more aerodynamic fit.

ix.
The luge event is designed to reward consistency, endurance and ability to withstand
pressure, particularly on the second day.

x.
In curling, the stone moves toward a series of concentric circles. The object is to get
the stone as close to the centre of the circle as possible.

xi.
In the biathalon relay each team member has two firing sequences and is allowed
three extra bullets to hit five targets.

xii.
Location changes every two years so make sure the conditions are conducive to your
specified event.