He Would Find His Susie,inside

Those Who Say They Would Rather Fight To The Death Than Be Raped Are Fools. I Would Rather Be Raped A Thousand Times. You Do What You Have To.

I Stared At Her Black Hair. It Was Shiny Like The Promises In Magazines.

Inside The Snow Globe On My Father's Desk, There Was A Penguin Wearing A Red-and-white-striped Scarf. When I Was Little My Father Would Pull Me Into His Lap And Reach For The Snow Globe. He Would Turn It Over, Letting All The Snow Collect On The Top, Then Quickly Invert It. The Two Of Us Watched The Snow Fall Gently Around The Penguin. The Penguin Was Alone In There, I Thought, And I Worried For Him. When I Told My Father This, He Said, "don't Worry, Susie; He Has A Nice Life. He's Trapped In A Perfect World.

He Tunneled Into Stories Where Weak Men Changed Into Strong Half-animals Or Used Eye Beams Or Magic Hammers To Power Through Steel Or Climb Up The Sides Of Skyscrapers. He Was The Hulk When Angry And Spidey The Rest Of The Time. When He Felt His Heart Hurt He Turned Into Something Stronger Than A Little Boy, And He Grew Up This Way. A Heart That Flashed From Heart To Stone, Heart To Stone. As I Watched I Thought Of What Grandma Lynn Liked To Say When Lindsey And I Rolled Our Eyes Or Grimaced Behind Her Back. "watch Out What Faces You Make. You'll Freeze That Way.

I Knew Something As I Watched: Almost Everyone Was Saying Goodbye To Me. I Was Becoming One Of The Many Little-girl-losts. They Would Go Back To Their Homes And Put Me To Rest, A Letter From The Past Never To Be Reopened Or Reread. And I Could Say Goodbye To Them, Wish Them Well, Bless Them Somehow For Their Good Thoughts. A Handshake In The Street, A Dropped Item Picked Up And Retrieved And Handed Back, Or A Friendly Wave From The Distant Window, A Nod, A Smile, A Moment When The Eyes Lock Over The Antics Of A Child.