“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing. At other times it feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket…
Loss is one of the few things in life you don’t become desensitized to with repeat exposure. When you lay in the sun day after day, you develop a tan – your body’s natural resistance to the sun’s rays. (And skin cancer, of course, but that’s another story.) When you tweeze your eyebrows continuously, seeking…
Photo: My father, circa 2003. Taken on a visit home during my first year in college. I wrote the following short story (non-fiction) for my Ethnography class. It’s too personal and emotional for me to really edit, alter, or attempt to submit for publication, so I’ve opted to share it here. ____________ September 20th, 2006:…
My husband and I found out that one of our closest friends died in an accident on his motorcycle last night. He was doing all the right things. Wore his helmet and protective gear. Wasn’t speeding. Hadn’t been drinking. The other car just didn’t see him. Per the official report, she “failed to yield to…
I just learned a few moments ago that the girlfriend of my husband’s friend passed away in her sleep last night. She was 29 years old. I didn’t know her very well, having only met her on a few occasions when we were invited over for a party or vice versa, when they came to…
Victoria Elizabeth Ann 