The beautiful people think differently than us—than we. See, it starts with self-correction, that goofy pronoun trick you never mastered, morphs into the mole misplaced, the slant of your nose, double sag of the chin. How their clothes hang designer-perfect, how their children indulge, tweet, misbehave while your children push in their chairs, clean up after. See how their god stands just right, hip cocked, arm angled at “I told you so.” And you can’t keep from buying into the club, mottled fingers grasping, flappy, bingo arms waving good-bye to the real you—the Kardashian you re-applying that waterproof, designer eyeliner, changing your first name, adding an exotic, foreign middle name, as you struggle to smooth the lived-in wrinkles from your second-hand profile, proffer your pose just so, smile like an influencer above your cold veggie meat loaf.
Ed McManis is a writer, editor, & erstwhile Head of School. His work has appeared in more than 60 publications including Coolest American Stories 2025. His most recent chapbook is “The Zombie Family Takes a Selfie” Bottlecap Press. He, along with his wife, Linda, have published esteemed author Joanne Greenberg’s (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden) memoir, On the Run. Little known trivia fact: he holds the outdoor free-throw record at Camp Santa Maria: 67 in a row.
Bullseye, kinda like a whole lotte free throws but this time, somebody was looking. Nicely done. Sorry I didn't think of it first, so now that's off limits. Damn.