Clips from Life

"I think my right foot is bigger than my left foot."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because every time I try on a pair of shoes, the right shoe is tighter than the left."
"No, I think they just make right shoes smaller."
"Really?"

"What are you mad about, sad about, glad about?"
"Uhhh..."

"Is that what Mom and Dad got for you?"
"I thought Santa brought the presents..."
"No, he's not real."
"Oh."

"Hey. It's me. Can you tell Mom or Dad to come pick me up? They forgot me again."

"Hello there! How do you know the Tatum family?"
"I'm one of them."
"Oh my! I'm terribly sorry. You're the only one with dark hair!"
"Yeah, I know. I look like my Dad."

"Hey, you there. Don't smear so much make-up on your face."
"Okay...thanks."

"Staying out of trouble?"

"You're not getting into trouble are ya'?"

"What kind of trouble have you been getting yourself into?"

"Hey, trouble."

"Do I bother you?"
"I don't know."
"You think I'm annoying..."
"I don't know."
"Do you just want me to stop talking to you?"
"Sure."

"Can I have some pop?"
"Some what?"
"Pop. I want some pop."
"The bathroom is down the hallway to the left."

"You want a cigarette? Hahahahahahaha."

"So, you don't have a boyfriend?"
"Nope."
"Oh my, that's too bad. You're such a beautiful girl."

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?"

"Still no boyfriend?"

"He's really into you."
"He's in prison."
"He's such a nice guy though."

"Why does she keep following us?"
"I don't know."
"Tell her to go away. She's annoying."
"Shh! She's the Pastor's daughter."

"Oh, hey! You'd better stop running so fast! You're the Pastor's daughter."

"Aw, man, have you seen that movie Horrible Bosses?"
"No."
"Really? Jackass 3?"
"No."
"You've seen Human Centipede though, right?"
"No."
"...Damn."

"What are you doing up?"
"I was just getting some.."
"Get your ass in bed!!"

"So, why are you quitting the program?"
"I don't know. I really just don't have the time."
"How will you get spiritual accountability?"
"Well, my friends are really strong. I can still talk to them."
"Yes, but I wish you would reconsider."
"Well, I don't know..."
"Can I pray for you?"

"It Happened One Night is one of my favorite movies, too! ...Can I kiss you?"
"Um, no."

"Are you going to eat the whole pint of Ben and Jerry's?"

"Enjoying that cake there, fattie?"

"Nom nom nom."

"You know, all those people. I don't really believe them. They're so happy all the time. I just, I'm sorry, I don't think it's really like that."

Mud

Why do I so often feel pushed into spaces in which I cannot fit? It is as if a dark shadow hovers above me, wordlessly threatening me lest I fail to force myself into the cracks that contort and wound me. I am forced down into the depths and high up into the clouds. This thing laughs at me as I turn to run and find myself facing it around the next corner. Inescapable, it haunts me with its worm-like demeanor. Like a puff of stale air or a splash of reeking water it teases and provokes me, pretending to be merely aggravating, rather than paralyzing. It calls me names that I do not recognize and peels away layers of skin that I thought remained safe from inspection. Tirelessly, it works to disregard my efforts and seeks only to throw every ambition over the edge of a cliff. I feel precarious. I embrace this. Laughingly, I waltz across a thin cord, giggling as each wavering step sends me closer to toppling over. Call me Sister, call me Daughter, call me Good, call me Strong. I reach for these things and discover they are dust in my hands. Forward, forward I lunge, convinced that this means progress. This shadow is behind me, surely. Yet ahead it lurks with a new disguise. Each time, a new disguise. Enraged, I reach once again for the names it provides and spit in the dust to create a form I can recognize. I feel hands rubbing mud in my eyes and I cry out because I know this story well. Eagerly, I remove the grime from my eyes and look about to see this new world I have been promised. Leering, grinning, salivating at my false hope, the shadow beckons to me from its clausterphobic hole. I, unable to resist, pretend it does not exist, and step into the trap of my own accord.