julia
julia collects peanut shells and dollar store ceramics.
every night she sews the broken shells into beige pillow cases with red thread,
and carefully lines up the ceramics in a circle around her bed.

her father is snoring in the next room--
he fell asleep in the chair where he watches late night t.v.
popcorn pieces still stuck to his chest hair..

julia brushes her teeth with old sticky toothpaste
and laughs.
because her father can't love a girl like she can.