by Chanel Brenner Stretching my legs after a walk down our old street, my dead son’s face came to me, the scar below his left eyebrow, the window of his missing two front teeth so clear, I had to sit for a minute, on someone else’s porch. You’d think we’d
by Chanel Brenner Riley is dead, and now, I make eggs for his brother, like I used to do for him. As I boil the water, I remember how Riley loved to shift them in the glass bowl while they cooled, watching light flicker the water, as if he beheld a world,
by Chanel Brenner I sat across from him, shooting his portrait with my phone. His charcoal sweatshirt faded into the dark booth. He played tic-tac-toe in the dim light. I should have known something was wrong, when he scribbled his X’s and O’s like a toddler— should have known his
Editor’s note: over the next few weeks we will be publishing the works of Chanel Brenner. This is by way of introduction. Welcome to Dead Child World by Chanel Brenner Please try to make yourself comfortable. If it feels like you are outside your body, it’s because you are. Don’t worry, this is normal. It
by Barbara Hills LeStrang I need to talk about my loss. I may often need to tell you what happened – or to ask you why it happened. Each time I discuss my loss, I am helping myself face the reality of the death of my loved one. I need to know that you care
