Letters · Issue 04 · Kindling

From a Kitchen in Late December

A letter about borrowed plates, a neighbour’s radio, and the orange that was meant for someone else.

Ruthie LangExcerpt · 6 min in print2 October 2026

You asked for letters that were not performances, so here is one from the kitchen while the radio next door plays something with too many violins. I have three plates that belong to Mara. She lent them when my nephew came and then refused to take them back because, she said, I set a table more often. This is slander and also a little true. Tonight I put an orange on her plate by mistake, the good one I was saving, and then I decided the mistake was the better arrangement. I will leave it on her step in the morning. If you print this, print the part about the violins. She will know it is her radio and she will pretend to be annoyed, which is how she says she was glad of the orange.#

This is an excerpt. The complete piece is in the print and digital edition of Issue 04.

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