After Michael died by suicide I began compulsively lying to strangers. I just couldn’t help it. The truth was too terrifying to admit. I hid it well but I was disoriented by the shiny lights and the heavy smoke and the spinning of Manhattan with its missing or hidden street signs.. There was a roller coaster and it was angry. On the phone Dr. C confirmed psychosis, offered hospitalization, and I said no. The meds would work, I was sure. I just had to wait. I was in an Uber heading to a work event. Absolutely everything had a mouth.
Joanna Acevedo is from New York City. She is the author of three books and two chapbooks and received her MFA from NYU in 2021.