Isham Cook's Blog: Isham Cook, page 14
July 6, 2013
The curious benefits of neurosis. A short story
A red neon sign so far in the unsteady distance it could be a firefly. I too am a fly and it pulls me irresistibly toward it, for it is in the shape of a suspected character, and like most … Continue reading →
June 23, 2013
Yangtze River cargo ship, bats, Agricultural Bank of China (video)
Hypnotic video I took of a cargo ship passing down the Yangtze River in Wuhan at night as bats fly around (neon sign is China Agricultural Bank ad). Filed under: Essays on China Tagged: Wuhan, Yangzte River
June 14, 2013
The catch. A short story
“Well, what happened?” “Let me tell the whole story from the start. She’s tall with glamorous movie star eyes, tits on the small side but a nice round set of hips. The first time we met she was wearing green … Continue reading →
May 28, 2013
Good teacher, bad teacher. A short story
“How did you do that?” “Watch again.” Fifty students stood around him craning their necks – some standing on chairs – as the teacher moved three walnut shells around the surface of a desk. “Now look,” he said, turning up … Continue reading →
May 3, 2013
Restaurant time warp. A short story
“I like the decor here. Look at the designs lit up on the wall by a hidden projector, and the silver mobiles over there, suspended in space like birds or fish. Notice the rafters in the ceiling above lighted blue. And that big … Continue reading →
April 25, 2013
Paradox. A short story
To make the nude not look like a manikin, to make it vibrate with weight and physical gravity, was mere entry level for any professional painter. But to embed light into the flesh, to render the nude not like a … Continue reading →
April 16, 2013
The ventriloquist’s dilemma: Anglo travelogues of China
Let’s start with Liam D’Arcy-Brown’s Grand Canal voyage The Emperor’s River: Travels to the Heart of a Resurgent China (2010). A great idea, certainly, traversing the entire Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, especially as no one else, at least in our day, … Continue reading →
The ventriloquist’s dilemma: Anglo travelogues from China
Let’s start with Liam D’Arcy-Brown’s Grand Canal voyage The Emperor’s River: Travels to the Heart of a Resurgent China (2010). A great idea, certainly, traversing the entire Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, especially as no one else, at least in our day, … Continue reading →
March 26, 2013
A little accident. A short story
Liu Yan’s new Mazda 6 hadn’t a single dent on it in the year since she had bought it. Not bad for a novice negotiator of Beijing’s congested streets. She had taught herself how to parallel park without an attendant’s … Continue reading →
February 28, 2013
What you know, you know. A short story
Siran was showing how the seam on her antique Chinese shirt opened up for breastfeeding, and by the time she got through all the knotted buttons – they take as much dexterity to undo as to do up – my … Continue reading →
