I must have been around ten years old when the school library became my favorite place on earth. It wasn’t much, in fact, it was quite small. But that didn’t matter because I was small too.
Detritus
It's easy to avert your eyes. We all do it. But the disparity is always there. Some neighborhoods are so poor that people can't afford cars. Middle-aged men on kid-sized bikes dart in and out of traffic. At night, they bleed into the darkness. My foot stays on the brake staring and not staring, straining and not straining to see them.
Suburban Spring; Dylan Thomas, 5 a.m.; The Year That Betty White Died; Prufrock Singin’ in the Rain; Hourglass
Do not go fretful into that cold light That leaks around the doorframe from the day. Stay, stay and watch the biding of the night.
Laced with Kleptomania
Although she didn’t know the exact date it started, she knew that in the beginning, she stole little things. A stick of Chapstick at the grocery store, a new nail polish, or an un-scanned item at self-checkout were all; what she considered to be petty acts of thievery that gave her an undeniable sensation and a psychological rush like no other. These acts, as time passed, developed into an exotic and progressive entanglement with the untamed sin of robbery. Her boyfriend would steal too. At times, they would steal together.
Swallow; Ancient Wine
Mother’s tea kettle sings to an empty house. My sisters abandon her, because we are young, and act grown. Keep the water in your mouth. It’ll go down easier if you hold your nose.