You enter the room. Inside people embrace and rediscover their skeletons. It’s a celebration. Maybe you go throughout your days forgetting your skeleton. When I hear the beginning of “Under My Thumb” I feel the marimba in my spine. Most days I do not celebrate my skeleton. I'm forgetful. I wished to be a plant. My mother overheard me confide my wish to a spider plant. She threw plant food spikes at me and yelled at me to oxygenate. Not as an evil mother. As a mother doing her best. Most mothers are doing their best. I’m doing my best. First: I have a skeleton. So do you. When you enter the room you have two choices.




I like the times I can walk with my friend; who is a dog and also a ghost. You might think it’s impossible to be friends with a ghost who is also a dog. Before you ask about her I will tell you this: I think it is rude when people find out I have a female friend and the first thing they ask is how 'he' died. I don’t understand why people need to know such things. Here is a fact about our friendship: I’ve never asked her any questions and sometimes I’m not sure she knows I’m around.



Sometimes people congratulate me for leaving Facebook and I tell them not to. It’s only been five days. Still, they can’t imagine what it is like. When it is time for pictures, they ask if it is okay if I’m not in them:  because they can’t tag me and that it would creepy for their friends.

Imagine an unidentified face interrupting the scene. Wouldn’t that seem creepy to you if you were my friend?

Yeah, that would seem creepy, I agree.

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Chad Redden lives in Indianapolis where he writes and records his podcast, Dream Guides.