My mother keeps photographs—cars buried under white hills, doors blocked ankle deep, trees casting blue shadows.

When I phone now, her voice is soft and tired.

When I visit sometimes, I catch reflections in her eye.

A snowman, an empty sled—puddles glistening on salted blacktop the following day.

Jacob Ian DeCoursey was born and raised in Maryland. He’s a master’s degree dropout and “essential worker” laboring too many hours for too little pay. Since 2007, his writing has appeared in numerous publications (many now defunct) both online and in print. Reflex Press has longlisted his flash fiction for their quarterly international competition. In 2019, during a stint of unemployment, he released his first book, Vivid Greene: and Other Unusual Stories. Follow at billy_collins_in_hell