Ten.One Thousand & Seventy-Three

1. I turn to see creamsicle clouds against a pale blue sky.

2. He says she was already on the computer. I look at my watch. It’s only 5:45am.

3. 6:00am. I can hear him on the other side of the wall coughing and playing with his X-wing fighter.

4. Maybe today will be a day for galettes. And vanilla ice cream.

5. “Where are black women free to show up fully as who they are?”

6. “The gap between what we want and what’s possible is not as big as we think it is.”

7. I stoop to pick up the plums. I think I have enough to try the plum jam again-once I can get the pot clean again.

8. The difficult conversations.

9. And now, another sign.

10. “Stop apologizing.”