They Missed My PhD Graduation—So I Used The Empty Seats To Tell The Truth

signal fidelity—they blurred into nonsense syllables, into sounds without substance. For the first time in months, I saved my work automatically and shut my laptop with more force than necessary. The room plunged into darkness so complete it felt like drowning.

I lay back on my bed, staring at the faint cracks in the ceiling that looked like a map continue reading …