I woke up too early. There were noises around me, water running into the bathtub, birds singing their morning songs, dogs joining in the chorus with spirited barking. I did not open my eyes, I did not want to enter the day just yet. In the hazy, undefined space I felt love … it didn’t [...]

Christopher sits in front of me. He is angry, angry at how I’ve been, at how I talked, at how I behaved. He talks and talks and talks. An endless litany of words that push me, poke me, assault me. My mouth pressed together into a thin, angry line, my body rigid. I stare at [...]