LIPSTICK ON MY LIPS
I don’t want to be a woman who can’t leave my house without lipstick on my lips. I’ll let the mirror crumble, turn to dust beneath my feet. My face is just my face not a canvas for your product not a portal for your pleasure not eye candy for Read more
Kotiwica
On August 1, 1944, at 5 p.m., “W-hour” began in Warsaw, Poland. Taken from the Polish word wybuch, meaning “explosion,” W-hour was the start of the Warsaw Uprising, an underground resistance’s attempt to expel Nazi forces from the city. Horrific spoiler: despite its meticulous planning and herculean effort, the Warsaw Read more
Out of the Frying Pan
The air conditioner’s hum has escaped through the unsealed door, Crinkles and crackles floating off with yesterday’s pollen. Heat begins to rise and muddle throughout the house— Too bad we’re frying bacon tonight. Hair and sleeves up, the air grows thick with a burnt taste. I clean the grease and Read more
THE LOST BROTHER: part 3
In June, I called Mimi for her birthday. In a delighted voice, she told me that Mom had tied balloons to the mailbox that said, “Happy Birthday, Mimi.” She sounded like a child instead of an adult turning twenty-seven. My heart constricted with pity. I didn’t know how to respond. Read more
The Unlovely
There is no object so foul that intense light will not make it beautiful. –Ralph Waldo Emerson The vultures who roost in our oaks have terrible posture. Stooped, sad shoulders. Sometimes, they swoop from the trees to perch on our white fence in a macabre row. Songless birds of prey Read more
Braces, Abortion, and Oprah
The story of a West Virginia girl who missed her moment, survived the silence, and found her smile. Trigger Warning:This essay contains references to childhood sexual abuse, reproductive health, and survival. Please take care while reading. At 50 years old, I got braces. To reshape something as simple — and Read more