The children don't understand.The sweets they pine for are not squeezed from the machine with stripes intact. No—they must be painted on, by hand, with so much care. It is almost unimaginable, the ... [+]

Rolli X.
Rolli is a Canadian author and cartoonist. His words and drawings are staples of The New York Times, The Saturday Evening Post, Playboy, The Wall Street Journal, and other top outlets. Rolli is the author of the new book of poems and drawings, Plumstuff. Follow him on Twitter at @rolliwrites.
Published works
I Do Not Begrudge the Young
their oceanof avenuesFor I have cometo a conclusion—somebastionof sandfrom which I witnessthe ... [+]
Bibliomaniac
Books are gentle companions. Usually. Except for that one time I was just about murdered by books. That was twenty years ago . . .***I didn't know what to do with my life. I had no prospects. I had an ... [+]
The Girl in the Tree
Tracy Jo Freely climbed a tree one day. A plum tree. The big plum tree at the end of Miro Street."When are you coming back down?" her parents asked her an hour later."Never," said Tracy Jo.Her mothe ... [+]
The City of Unknown Poets
If you call on me one evening in the city of un- known poets we'll talk not a word of the turning ... [+]
The Bear Under the Bed
Sometimes I can't sleep. That's because of the bear under the bed.One night, the bear was breathing hard.When he breathed in, the bed lifted up off the floor.When he breathed out, the bed slammed back ... [+]
One Gum Bubble
All Julie did was toss a piece of bubble gum into her mouth, one day. Honey plum-plum flavor. Her favorite. And then... She blew ONE GUM BUBBLE. That's it. It may not sound like much. But ... [+]