I’m writing your name on a bar napkin, the edges sopping from beer glass sweat. I missed work three days in a row––keep calling in sick but I’m not sure what’s wrong. Maybe gravity just stopped holding me down.
This morning I passed the coffee shop, the one where I first saw you. I tried not to slow down––didn’t want to look, didn’t want to take the chance that you might be there after all this time––but I did.
Inside was an old man with an old baseball hat. He wasn’t wearing socks but he looked happy. Maybe we looked that happy once…

Word of the Year-2025
For my 2025 word of the year, I chose COURAGE. I know, it’s not the most original pick—but hear me out. Something about courage stuck with me this time, especially after watching a documentary on The Tragically Hip. For those unfamiliar, they’re kind of a Canadian thing. A band that