Did you hear about the solar flare? It was hot. Yesterday, I swam in the ocean.
The saltwater cleansed me of bitterness. When I floated on my back, I noticed the tension I’d been holding onto all winter and spring. I let it go as seaweed grazed my toes. Sunshine was in my muscles now.
The solar flare licked the rooftops across the water.
Before the beach, I had to shave.
Early in the morning, my bedroom was already warm. I walked around the house in my underwear. I shaved the hair around my pubis, my legs, and my armpits for the first time in the Year of the Dragon.
Sunshine poured through the blinds.
NASA posted a video. I watched it over and over again while sitting in my desk chair naked. Our sun, boiling orange, spitting out a passion like a devilish tongue. You could hear it rumbling if you watched it long enough. It was a video of a solar flare, 36 hours sped-up to 18 seconds. The images were like the insides of my body, which is selfish, maybe, to see the sun and think of yourself, but then it was Carl Sagan who said it first. We are Stardust.
Hair was already growing back between my legs, just a few hours later and I was itchy. This performance seemed foolish, but then again I liked it. The sudden visibility of my skin made me want do a variety show called, There she is! In which I perform a tasteful strip-tease with a feather boa around my shoulders. However, for most of the year I’m an indiscernible tumble weed, because I like myself in hair.