elementia Cheating

Writing

Choosing to Hurt

By Jessica Sutter
issue 8
best of elementia 1-15

He leaves his shoes on the doorstep. Size twelve and a half, wearing through the toes and curling with wrinkles of use. He stopped working at the orchard in November, but red Oklahoma mud still caulks the crevices and holes, stains the laces.

Cheating
betrayal
intimacy
desire

Read more

Browse by Tag

145th street 27
abuse 4
addiction 3
anger 4
animals 3
anxiety 5
ars poetica 20
art 6
beginnings 3
belonging 3
bodies 3
Bonds 3
books 7
bravery 3
breaking free 5
breakups 9
bullying 6
childhood 7
confidence 3
conflicting identities 9
connection 54
crime 3
dance 3
darkness 4
death 32
depression 4
desire 3
despair 12
disappointment 4
dream 20
Dreams 10
Driving 3
Earth 3
eating disorder 5
escape 3
expectations 3
Faith 6
family 42
Family Tree 13
fantasy 10
fear 5
feature 3
Flying 3
food 5
freedom 9
friendship 11
Future 9
Grief 15
growing up 18
growth 12
gun violence 4
health 3
heartbreak 8
Heroes 5
history 6
Home 23
hope 31
horror 4
humor 3
identity 77
Imagination 6
individualism 3
justice 4
lgbtq 5
Life 11
lonliness 5
Love 49
math 3
memories 6
memory 22
mental health 7
music 14
Names 5
nature 67
nostalgia 5
origin 3
passion 44
Peace 12
perfection 7
Place 16
Places 3
politics 4
praise poem 3
purpose 5
race 6
reading 14
relationships 20
religion 10
resilience 17
sadness 5
school 14
secrets 5
self-identity 29
Space 4
sports 7
Stories 4
strength 4
suicide 3
time 19
Travel 6
truth 5
violence 8
war 9
Water 4
Winter 3
women's voices 3
writing 11