The Break

by Katie Sise

When people complain about me, it’s not usually because I’m dull.

His hand goes behind my back and pulls me close and I revel in it—the moment right before the kiss happens, my favorite moment, the one I would live inside if I could.

I ride the train and let my mind wander, thinking about all the ways this city is going to change me.

How much of where we are determines who we are?

I’m through the turnstiles and I’m on the stairs; I’m a phoenix rising into the steamy air of New York City, breathing like I’ve been born anew, on my way to the ramshackle home I’m trying to build here and fighting for scraps of the life I want.