20 Sept 2022

The moment is unpronounceable and deafening. In a high school gymnasium, at an upper west wine bar, in a fit of ecstasy, I see the fear disappear and fold into acceptance. Joy. Hilarity. The twin echoes of life and new friends ricochet across the court and I breathe. Gears turn.

A black and white poster printed with polka dots and pictures of smiling students is pasted to a wall, behind a red Siamese water hose connector.

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