Issue #5
fiction
Edited by Umaiyahl Nageswaran, Valeria Alcaraz, Lou Deng, and Maleekah Ar-rahiman
“The Eulogist”
by Kenneth Jakubas
My work addresses places and people in a tragic American time, one that destroys itself even as it lives on, one that celebrates death and assault at the expense of future generations. In my work, I strive for a voice that leaves no detail out in regards to the tragedy of American violence, which has many heads and multiple tongues.
“Safe Space”
by Jefferey Spivey
"Safe Space" is in conversation with decomp's mission through its layered exploration of racial identity. The piece questions personal responsibility and self-belief during a moment of racial upheaval, pokes fun at the well-intentioned but problematic anti-racist efforts of some allies, and inverts societal roles, placing a Black man in a position of suspicion and authority.
“Carnal”
by Gerry Rodriguez
In the fight to reevaluate the stigma of sex work, "Carnal" gives readers a glimpse into the secretive yet ordinary world of sex workers which has traditionally been deemed immoral by institutions and severely lacks the respect of the outside world. It brings to the forefront the importance of acknowledging that "sex work is work."
“Foundation”
by Akshat Khare
The story is about the blood, sweat and broken dreams that go into building a sanitised high-rise. The bricks that make up the shanties that the construction workers live in are demolished as the buildings near completion and integrated into the building. The middle class lives in these high rises without ever thinking about whose feet walked on the cement before the final tiling was laid down. Never thinking about whose stories dwell in the kiln bricks that are now covered with a fresh coat of paint.
“The Faun”
by Malvina Perova
My story casts a glimpse at the blurry lines between imagination and reality and what it feels like to hold on to just one side of the coin.
“The Butterfly’s Wings”
by Eric Twa
My stories play with memory and the dichotomy of sickness and health. There is the beauty of nature, and our desire to dominate it. The beauty of madness, and our desire to rid the world of it.
“What about tree top bikini girls on Broad Street”
by T. Jeanette “Joppa” Florence Frankie K. W. “Hodo” Jenkins
My work which is visual of a freelancer, with work comprising of words centered on personal experience that includes the side of a freelance artist, from Newark, broad street.