Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.

Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.

I reach for funny books all the time to help me get through life.

I want to be in fifth grade again. Now, that is a deep dark secret, almost as big as the other one. Fifth grade was easy -- old enough to play outside without Mom, too young to go off the block. The perfect leash length.

I stuff my mouth with old fabric and scream until there are no sounds left under my skin.

I shake my head. I pick up the rake and start making the dead-leaf pile neater. A blister pops and stains the rake handle like a tear. Dad nods and walks to the Jeep, keys jangling in his fingers. A mockingbird lands on a low oak branch and scolds me. I rake the leaves out of my throat. Me: "Can you buy some seeds? Flower seeds?

Revision means throwing out the boring crap and making what’s left sound natural.