I Know Exactly What I’m Doing by Stephanie Lenox
Editor-in-Chief Jennifer A. Howard on today’s bonus short: Stephanie Lenox’s story came into the queue long before most of us started sheltering at home, so the emotions here feel fully prescient. Of course, this narrator’s put-on confidence would have resonated with me at many (most) points in my life, but now, surrounded by uncertainty, it lands even more powerfully.
I Know Exactly What I’m Doing
All my mated socks sleep wholly in the drawer. The dog is awake. The children are listening. The sun does not shine through the front window of my house. I am telling the truth. I am in control of these words. The white stare of the page does not scare me. I entertain my abundant group of friends who visit regularly, bearing pie. The cuckoo clock’s attention to the passing of time does not annoy me. Its relentless song is my favorite sound. There is love in my heart for everyone, including me. I never forget to drink my tea. My tea never grows cold. I have names for each desire in my heart. My thoughts line up like children at a well-run school. I am not afraid that I could be wrong. Failure is my friend. Did I mention that I have many friends? When the dog sleeps, I do not poke her to see if she is still alive.
Stephanie Lenox is the author of two poetry collections, The Business and Congress of Strange People. Her most recent publication is a co-authored textbook with H. K. Hummel, Short-Form Creative Writing: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology.
