DIY

By Stephanie Kee

For the body: a twig, perhaps, or a sheet of paper.

A head smart enough to never question. To be obedient. To know ancient poetry and not know better.

Nose pinched for that high bridge. Smile painted on and sealed with varnish.

And don’t forget the strings—impossibly short, impossible to cut. She’ll need the guidance; she can’t stand on her own.

There. Look how perfect. Our ??, our puppet, our well-behaved daughter.

Father

By Mark Yin

You stand there in the doorway while I lie in bed bundled up like a pierrot doll, and you whisper into the darkness of my room without stepping inside. You whisper dreams into my head as I drift off, and when I wake up I can’t tell if they’re mine or yours.

Burn Down

By Thirangie Jayatilake

Only your parents can find you someone good, they say. 

It’s not a treasure hunt, it’s like a walk down the aisle in a grocery store. Pick up a product. 

Because women, they say, have an expiration date. Your biological clock is tick, tick ticking. 

I dare you. Throw me in the microwave. Set the timer.