Helium

by Rudy Francisco

Alternatives to “Bae” The one who wins all of the arguments, the keeper of the remote, the girl who turns my stomach into a butterfly nest, the pink Starburst, the one I will always choose first no matter what else is in the pack, the red Kool-Aid, the right amount of sugar, the pulp, the part that makes the juice seem real.

you have the audacity to be beautiful even on days when everything around you is ugly.

it must be nice to feel so safe, you have to invent new ways to put yourself in danger.

Being black is one of the most extreme sports in America.

I bet your God would’ve made Eve without a mouth and taught her how to spread her legs like a magazine that she will never ever be pretty enough to be in.

Tell me how blessed are we to have tragedy so small it can fit on the tips of our tongues.

Remember, every year two million people die of dehydration. So it doesn’t matter if the glass is half full or half empty. There’s water in the cup. Drink it and stop complaining.