Hang the Moon

by Jeannette Walls

I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.

You need the darkness of night, or an eclipse when the moon briefly blots out the sun, to see the stars by their own light. So most things you can’t see in the dark, but other things—like stars—you can see only in the dark.

I’ve had a loaded gun pointed at me a few times and I know that it’s not the gun you have to concern yourself with, but the person holding it.

“Your Uncle Sam, not ours.” I lean in close, like I’m sharing a secret. “Uncle Sam don’t hold a lot of sway around here. We pay him all these taxes and our hard-earned money goes into the pockets of politicians who dole it out to the fat cats who bribe them. Your Uncle Sam doesn’t look out for us, so we take care of our own around here. I protect my people.”