Helium

by Rudy Francisco

At this age, my body is a stranger that I keep meeting over and over again.

Youth promises us immortality, but doesn’t have the means to uphold its end of the bargain.

I hope I haven’t already driven past my greatest moments.

My hobbies include: editing my life story, hiding behind metaphors, and trying to convince my shadow that I’m someone worth following.

Being black is one of the most extreme sports in America. We don’t need to invent new ways of risking our lives because the old ones have been working for decades.