Introspection
My Favorite Things
My grandmothers saw my brother and me as battlegrounds for their cultures, each trying to make sure theirs didn’t disappear.
What Are You Lifting: Lululemon
Deep thought is a sweat-inducing process, blurring the boundary between mental and physical discipline. Athleisure and sartorial control are attempts to prove intellectual control.
The Karate Girl
I had begun karate in pursuit of knowledge and Danger, but by age twelve, I simply enjoyed the sport.
At Attention
I slid into a line of girls combing through racks of nude-colored sports bras and thonged one-piece bathing suits. I hadn’t actually picked a costume yet—nor was I even thinking about what animal or character I’d pretend to be. I just knew I was going to wear as little as humanly possible.
How to Treat a Burn
Before I knew it, I slipped into a heavy slumber, somehow missing the fact that my leg was leaning directly against the heater. A massive blister cropped up just off of my left knee, and I acquired a gigantic scar—two inches of darkened skin.
The In-Between
Skinner says he chose “First Fig” because the poem sums up his approach to life. “I’ve never been much of a planner. I’ve never been much of a long-term worrier,” he says.
A Hope for the Day
I didn’t imagine that much about my faith would change when I was surrounded, for a few weeks, by donuts and daytime television at the hospital.
How to Untangle Knotted Hair
Perched on the edge of the bathtub, I balance a laptop on my damp knees and squint through a protein-oil haze. Conditioner drips from damp spirals. The weight of the overpriced hydrating cream is so heavy that I can barely read what my fingers have frantically been typing into the search bar: “how to untangle knotted hair.”
