Humanity: Raw & Unfiltered
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
I remember with clarity the last time I saw my grandmother. As I recall, I stood on her doorstep, staring through the stained-glass door as her small frame moved inside. She was smaller, greyer, glassier in the eye, and as I also saw, annoyed by my arrival. She opened the Read more
Richard isn’t at school today. He wasn’t there yesterday, either. When I get home, my mother seems sad. She crouches, looking into my eyes with hers. “Richard’s Mummy is – “ My mother has tears now. I don’t ask her why, I wait. I feel uncomfortable. “Richard hasn’t got a Read more
The day he shot my sister, it was like any other day. Gold sun, warm breezes, and aqua air. It was perfect until it wasn’t perfect. The skies didn’t darken until 5:15 PM. This is when he pulled the trigger. This is when he changed our lives. Bang. Bang. Bang. Read more
you spat me out at the very top of the tornado where sky meets dust just high it was blurry-dizzying, nauseating most mornings chewing-gum- pin-balling between being wrong and being wronger, I know I was never wrongest I slithered, spiraled down that treacherous hole, it felt like years and honestly Read more
Pull your hair tightly into a high pony tail Make it tighter still. There is something to be said for immaculate strands and their fraying roots. Memorize the story of King Solomon and the baby so that the sensation of being severed in half becomes as familiar as breathing. Read more
“Tomorrow, female blackout…” A writer friend sent the missive Saturday evening. The next day, women were to change their Facebook profile pictures to a simple, black square to illustrate to men what a day without women would look like. The scheme was billed as an effort to draw awareness to Read more
