When my friend Tom moved to Portland, he initiated himself into the city by writing stories that started with each letter of the alphabet. He’d wait until he stumbled upon something interesting that started with “A” and then write an essay about it. Then “B”, and so on. I copied this approach with a project of my own that I … Read More
Lean Into the Kiss
He kisses me. It has been one year, one month and three days since I have been kissed — following a marriage in which I was told my body was not worthy of touch, and my emotions were too, well, emotional to warrant attention. We are colleagues who happen to be stepping out into the night from a holiday work … Read More
Cherish the Last Trimester
I considered my son’s first three months in the world to be his fourth trimester. He was no longer inhabiting my body, yet he was still between worlds — and we were bound to each other in a sweet and private delirium that belonged entirely to us. In this way, the first three months of my breakup with Pete were … Read More
Tell a New Story About an Old Pattern
Pete picks me up from the airport with our three-year-old son. He tells me they have just shared cookies—which my son has never in his life been allowed to eat due to a gluten sensitivity. Evidently, Pete has forgotten this primary piece of information. When we were married, this kind of mistake was symbolic to me. It represented the ways … Read More
