Zip

  We come together like the teeth of a zipper Interlocking, holding together tight Not identical but aligning There’s nothing more frustrating than breaking a zipper The teeth seem to forget that they ever attached to each other Leaving backpacks and dresses wide open When they should be held together tight This post is part…

You

You love the people that love you But you let them speak without love Let them act without love Let them think without love And now it’s Another night feeling like the worst one. You don’t remember what good nights feel like You don’t remember what it’s like to go to sleep with dry eyes…

Xenophile

He had an overwhelming love for everything foreign Everything unlike him. Their music was better, Their skin color was better, Their despair was better. His American sadness was mediocre, But, oh, in Morocco, His sadness would be extraordinary, Memoir-worthy, even. This post is part of the A-Z Challenge. My theme is April Scribble, which includes microfiction,…

Wreckage

  When you touch a butterfly it loses power over its wings You destroy it, make it static The greatest insult comes from preventing movement Because suddenly It can’t escape the surrounding wreckage It’s trapped, prey to predators Only knows rubble And I wonder why, If we know that we hurt the butterfly, We’re tempted…

Velum

Every body part has a name. Some of them are silly, like velum and fibula and phalanges and zygomatic arch Some of them are over before you process them, like foot and chin and pore. If given the choice between the basic big toe and the scientific hallux I think you should use the flashier,…

Underdog

He launches my swing into the air so I can feel the freedom and the height and the potential He holds me up, in the air and in his eyes Delivering as much strength as he can muster Until I get “too big” for the swingset, and we have to shift indoors   He records all those early moments through…

Twitch

He sleeps with his fist held next to his shoulder. His thumb twitches. I curse myself for tuning out his rhythmic breathing, a sound I’ll only hear for a bit longer, as I fall into sleep. Dreams take the place of his reality. Sometimes I don’t realize how scared I am of something until I…

Screen

She had a system. Spend the whole first date hiding behind her phone; if that didn’t faze her potential suitor, he could handle her other terrible habits and her social anxiety and her strange particularities. She called it the screening. If he passed, he deserved her.   This post is part of the A-Z Challenge.…

Reciprocus

Even though we don’t talk anymore, You were once a really important part of my life I’m doing what I love, and I’m doing really well. But seeing you happy, working hard, and following your dreams makes me smile too. It’s okay to hang on. This post is part of the A-Z Challenge. My theme…

Quiz Me

Where did you grow up? What’s your favorite baseball team? How old were you when you had your first kiss? Which colleges did you apply to? What’s your takeout order? Why did you hate your sister? How are you resolving that now? What’s your dream job? Why do you think you tackle life better alone?…