I bought peanut butter today. Buying peanut butter is nothing new.I love the sticky smooth feeling as it moves through my mouth, The way it lingers a moment longer than I might want it to, how that takes me backTo memories of beach parties with my big brother, how I proudly made lunch for him:two…
Category: Another World Within
One More Thing
Colonel Edward Thomas Ryan died in June 2024, during Pride month. His obituary was shared with me by a friend who, like Colonel Ryan, lives in upstate New York. While I didn’t know Colonel Ryan, I saw in his words a man who lived a brave life and, in death, chose even more bravery: coming…
The Weight of Expectations
My daughter came into this world at 6:05 p.m, screaming in protest at the bright lights and cold air. My husband cut the umbilical cord. She was taken to the other side of the room to be weighed, measured, and cleaned. Although I had only held her briefly, my arms already felt so empty without…
Moth Wings
The cigarette hurt my throat, but I finished it quick to impress Grant. We lean against the pigeon-poo-stained railing under the bridge next to the river, watching the pool we made with our spit. A disgusting moth repeatedly flew into the flickering light that lit up the bridge we were standing beneath. The sound of…
Sleep & the Raveled Sleeve: Mental Health Shorts
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And we decided to showcase a variety of approaches and perspectives–two memoirs followed by one work of fiction. We noticed that sleep plays a big role in all three and that is no coincidence–too little sleep or too much is such a common ingredient in a person’s mental health…
“Sucker” and “Respire. expire:”
Sucker She circled it around her tongue.The stick clasped between newly stained red nails.Twirling it back and forth between her swollen lips.The threat of stickiness lingered as sugar infested salivatrembled towards her fingers.She allowed her canines to pierce throughas she crunched downon the glassy exterior shattering in her mouth.Lollipops were her favourite, especially now her…
Why 30 Days? Why 30 Poems? Because April is the Cruelest Month
As we look back on our recently concluded 30 Days, 30 Poems Project celebrating National Poetry Month and continue to mark Mental Health Awareness Month in May, we are sharing this piece today, about the intersection between the two. If you are in the US and need urgent mental health assistance, you can call, text…
Strawberries
I bought strawberries today. Every day, she picks one thing, a single occurrence, polishes it painstakingly in her head like a rolling marble until, by nightfall, she can present it to him, magnified and encased. Turned over as a token, whispered over the phone line that stretches between them, so that there is no silence. …
Safety in Somedays
Someday, I will wake up and understand what everything was for. I will watch the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening. As the moon finds its home in the sky, I won’t think how I miss you. I will be able to talk about you without tears, without tightness. Someday, I’ll be…
Onward and Upward and Inward
“Arrey Sambhal ke!”(Hey, be careful!) I heard the guide shout. Except, it was just one second too late. My shoe caught on a rock and I slid down the slope, the terrifying act happening so quickly that I didn’t even register it. And I’m glad that the slope was gentle and my slide ended with…