Why I Can’t Stop Buying Things

As I looked down at the near-full perfume bottles, Shoes I haven’t worn since high school, Shirts that stopped fitting ten pounds ago, And dozens of pairs of panties, socks, and ripped hosiery, I realized why I can’t stop buying things—I don’t like myself very much. Paying for color analyses, Read more

For the Girl in Row 5

It’s easy money. Walk slowly, hands behind your back, checking no one is cheating. Up and down the rows of desks, quietly handing out tissues, pens. For a teacher of 5 year olds, exam invigilation with 16 year olds is a breeze. Some children look anxious, one girl is biting Read more

Trapped Tears

It’s back, that distantly familiar swell under my ribs, a bitter sensation, like crying which is desperate to escape. Is it my trapped tears, all alone inside my chest? Or the hollow itself that they inhabit, which hurts? The aching makes me inhale, throbbing intensifies. Perhaps because my sorrow is Read more

Richard’s Mummy

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