Lies We Tell Ourselves

by Robin Talley

The police aren’t here to help us. Their shiny badges are all that’s stopping them from yelling with the other white people. For all we know they trade in those badges for white sheets at night.

Her eyes take on a sparkle that makes her brown irises look golden.

But I’m not a little girl anymore. The monsters that lurk now are real. And I can’t let them see that I’m afraid.

“Other people will always try to decide things for you,” she says. “They’ll try to tell you who you are. Remember, no matter what they say, you’re the one who really decides.”