I look around the room—at the pleading faces looking for answers. For hope. Who was I to give it to them? If only they knew the truth about the person in front of them. I would be looking towards them for an explanation. Standing on that podium, I was inundated with this sense of burden and respect towards the crowd: they cared. They wanted to find meaning in their life. They might have been givin...

as a child, she could never say bye, even thought she had to so many times. her tears could form rivers that rivaled the Nile. her cries could deafen bandshees hundreds of miles away. but as she saw him leaving for the final time, no tears fell. no words said. it was the easiest goodbye of her life. and as she walked away, she could finally breathe. the day she had dreaded for as long as she could...