More than 25 years ago, after my parents divorced, my mother dropped me off at my great-grandparents’ house for the afternoon. I don’t even remember the reason. I do remember walking up the steps to their front door. I remember the paint-chipped stone lions and the brown-bruised magnolia petals strewn along the grass near their […] Read more…

Written many years ago, when I was in my 20s and when running ruled my life. I do not have a driver’s license. I am 22 years old.  Normally, I rely on friends and relatives to drive me places. Lately, I’ve remained in my house for weeks, feeling guilty and ashamed. I hadn’t even stepped […] Read more…

This one may sound treacly, but it’s from the heart. And the purpose of this work I do is to make myself vulnerable. Here goes. I walk outside Room 121 with a lump in my throat, trying to force the water droplets back into my eyes. I wish I had sunglasses today. This was the […] Read more…

People who were born during the 1980’s, before the era of computers, cell-phones, and other high-tech gadgets spent a great portion of their childhoods outdoors.  A typical scene of my childhood during the 1990’s provides an example of this. SCENE IN MY HEAD #1 Long Shot:  Tiny maroon and bronze leaves dance in the brisk […] Read more…

Around 3:15 p.m., a short, sinewy guy—tan skin, probably in his late 20s—walks into a coffee shop packed with teenagers, head down, hands in pocket, shoulders scrunched toward his ears. He’s wearing a knitted navy blue hat and a matching ski jacket. Inside, at a wooden bar to the left, are two teenage girls: one […] Read more…