Status Updates From When Women Were Dragons

The yard was a riot of bright colors set in a backdrop of vibrant green. Everything the old lady once grew in her garden had morphed into generations of feral offspring. A thicket of volunteer squash vines tangled in a mound with yellow flowers, and squash all manner of sizes, shapes, and colors. The strangest cucumbers I'd ever seen snaked up the side of the ruined chicken coop & wild strawberries were everywhere.

We carried aspirin and maybe even a little clutch of tissues. We looked out for one another. Even when we weren’t particularly good friends. We all learned that this was the sort of thing that superseded friendship—it was deeper, and older, and more important. From the abundance of blood, the inexorable assault, month after month, whether we wanted it or not. We knew that such shock needed care and understanding.