Post-Traumatic

by Chantal V. Johnson

(Vivian grew up in a house where it was important not to say the wrong thing and she’d been editing her thoughts for precision ever since she was a child.

Ambiguity, though central to aesthetic greatness, was horrifying in real life.

Contemporary life is a woman working out vigorously, with a look of sad straining on her face.

I think we fixate on the ethics of aesthetic consumption because it’s easier than dealing with the moral trespasses of real life.

all while feeling that particular loneliness that arises when everyone around you is engrossed in a topic of conversation that you have no interest in. When you don’t care for the people, you are able to buffer that loneliness with judgment and disdain. But when you love them, the loneliness is tinged with grief.

The best writing was like a good friend, in the way that it gave you permission to be yourself.