Caught on a never-ending merry-go-round of memory, thoughts of the present and future lost their handhold.

The hung jury was lynched with the blessings of the hanging judge.

Irene's in-born pessimism had turned to nihilism by her teenage years.

We waited until nightfall.

The old man kept up a steady stream of dirty jokes while we drank together in the bar bathed in late afternoon light.

Dale played it close to the vest in matters of love but when it came to hate he threw all his chips in.

The idea of clothes being anything more than a utilitarian object, like a screwdriver or a watch, had never occurred to me until seventh grade when my father's old Army jacket I'd worn for years was suddenly in vogue.