The Knockout Queen

by Rufi Thorpe

That was the thing about Ms. Harriet, Bunny told me. She was always almost right, but a little bit wrong in a way that was scary.

How weird it was—to cut off the sexual organs of plants and give them to each other.

And there was something about me, but I always seemed to be right next to the kind of people who wound up making such decisions. I always seemed to be right there, loving the wrong person, betting on the wrong dark horse.

And I think my rage felt as good to me as his rage felt to him.

“Fear can change you. It can change you on a physical level. It’s not just feelings, it’s chemical cascades.”