– Idra Novey –
When punishment became a picture frame, the state gave our mother a glittering one and some picture wire so she could hover properly on the wall. Neighbors asked if this stillness had been in her before, if we poured our milk differently over our cereal with her always fixed there and listening.
After weeks of such inquiries about our mother, we said enough and climbed in with her—why not be miserable together? For fun, we picked the glitter off her picture frame. Sometimes we ate it for dinner.