A man writes a story about a dinner party. Includes the line: “groups of women twirl in long dresses by the fireplace.” Groups of women! Who can picture this room? All beautiful stuff is full of lies. The bitter thing inside me is starting to show. I’m going through the motions. Not enjoying sex. No ice in the freezer. The fruit is going to waste. Inside I’m angry and jealous. Outside the mystery is over. I know only one interesting fact: on television you’re allowed to say Jesus and Christ, but not Jesus Christ unless he’s in the room. Otherwise I have nothing to add. Haven’t seen the movie. Can’t pronounce the director’s name. Don’t read enough. Mix up history. I’m watching the same TV, know how it ends. My handwriting is lazy. Proof I don’t believe a word of this. “It should always be humiliating” a famous philosopher says in an interview, describing love.
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Leila Register lives in Atlanta, GA where she works as a freelance designer and illustrator. Her work has been featured in HAD and Maudlin House. She is currently the online fiction editor of the Schuylkill Valley Journal.
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image: Natalie Allstead
Rejection Letters 