in august, solar power means linoleum grey greenhouse tomatoes on the way to a game “circles” the ringtone that connects, six degrees of separation in thirty degree heat i remember when my head caught flame turning off read receipts to play mind games in time, delaying reactions with excruciating patience, sent, delivered sent 11:31 replied 20:03 solar power means nostalgia as thirty degrees turns to forty solar power means regret as all my missed opportunities and neglected

T he beads of sweat trickling down my armpit were going to soak my shirt in about 10 seconds after I had set foot into the meeting room. I was sitting on a swivel chair, yet I felt too anxious to spin back and forth on it as I usually did.   “So, tell me a little bit about yourself,” the interviewer asked. I paused, trying to recite the script I had practiced in my room a thousand times the night before.  “I work for a local restaurant, I play sports, and I am doing well in s

Okay. I have to practice. I have to make sure every part of me is perfect. All I need is to have a decent conversation with someone, and then I won’t be alone. The dread of being an outsider in a place of promised comfort long shadowed my every move, and echoed the successes and opportunities I have encountered throughout my life. Whether I had committed a social misstep or achieved something noteworthy, the apprehension of being evaluated outweighed any self-courage I had to