“Something’s been bugging me lately… time to come clean.”

Good thing we got this prompt today.


Something HAS been bugging me lately.

Convenient how that happens: you’re there,


thinking about this thing that’s bugging


you and finally you get to do something


about that something.

My favorite thing to do about that bugging


something is talk to someone.

Preferably someone who cares, but that’s


a lot to ask of humans, you know…


Caring… Lame, I guess.

But writing is good, to. When you talk,


all you can do is yell louder.

When you write, though, you can get


angry and stab the pencil through


the notebook if you want.

Or rip the paper out of the notebook,


crinkle it up furiously, ripping


it into a quadzillion tiny shreds


with your teeth before finally


going to find some shoes with


nails on the bottoms, dropping


the pathetic pieces to the ground


and stomping on them with


your nail feet because


you just absolutely loathe everything


that is on that sheet of paper


that is now a pile of paper dust


at your nail-studded feet because


everything on that paper was


true but you really really really


didn’t want it to be and you


just wish…

But then you remind yourself


that wishing is futile and


where has it gotten you in


the past?

That’s right. Nowhere. Well,


somewhere, I guess, but nowhere


important because you’re alone now


in a place with nail shoes and


paper dust that is now starting


to wash away because it’s


starting to rain.

And you can’t help wishing that


maybe someone who cares


would come through the door and stand by you,


smiling warily as they offered you


a red umbrella.

But it’s just a wish.