Everything You Are

by Kerry Anne King

while listening to the soul of a man who was unable to die at the same time as his music.

If she could die quietly, just close her story as if it’s a book she started reading and decided she didn’t like, she would welcome that. But she has to keep turning the pages; she’s not allowed to quit, because this is her fault and it’s the punishment she deserves.

“‘Sober’ is such a bleak word. Makes me think of Quakers. Or nuns. Amazed and alive, that’s what I am, five years now.”

If I should fail, I commit to picking myself up and trying again. On this day, I do so solemnly swear.

“fine” stands for “fucked up, insecure, neurotic, and emotional.”