My Guilty Pleasures
I clear the drain before it clogs, snip stray strands from your clothes when you aren’t here. I check the tin of tea you forgot, gather the curls your…
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Originally written for The Lesbrary, here. Living alone in her late mother’s house in Zwolle, Isabel is a quiet and fiercely guarded woman. An uncle bequeathed the house to the family with the understanding that whenever Isabel’s brother Louis married, he would inherit it. Isabel resides there now under a type of suspended claim—that of a caretaker, but not owner. Louis disturbs her meticulous isolation when he asks her to host Eva, his lover, for the summer while he is away. Isabel grudgingly…
On the Sacred Discipline of Cutting Kindness
Begin with reverence— your edge, a fine and fervent tongue, a truth-beveled sliver of steel, in trembling, fire-tempered hands. Stand firm, dear blade, in whispers and whetstone murmurs; angle yourself…
For You, Exactly As You Are
You wake up tired, scroll bad news until it blurs. Answer emails, jaw clenched tight— or can’t even bear to look. You say “I’m fine” with three tabs…
Teplé věci v chladných dnech
Řekli mi, že Češi jsou zavření jak okna v lednu. Že se neusmívají, nezvou, že ticho tu studí, a pohostinnost se schovává za dveře. Řekli mi, že mi bude zima—…
Routine Execution Protocol
A Burning Haibun They made sleep political. Not in headlines, but in forms, in protocols, in the quiet ways a schedule tells you whether your body belongs. You can’t…