Sublime

ameliorated.

“Garbage pickup is next week, Rachel.” She sounds guarded. She says Rachel’s name as if she’s signaling to other people within earshot.

ersatz.

Hope that I will still love the things I love, that I’ll still find them in the world. That I won’t crush them, or miss them every time—that sometimes I’ll accidentally touch one with my cane or foot, and it will be a blessing.