I recently learned a new phrase (well, new to me)--"generational trauma." It's very rare for me to write a non-speculative piece, and writing this one reinforced to me why I generally am not attracted to this sort of writing. Basically, I read and write to escape reality, not wallow in it...this is not a CNF (creative non-fiction) piece; it is entirely fiction. However...my great-grandmother, my mother's mother's mother, was 18 when she birthed my grandmother; that grandmother was 18 when she birthed my mother; my mother was 19 when she birthed me; I was 19 when I birthed my oldest son; and he was 19 when he fathered his oldest child, a girl. That child, my eldest granddaughter, is now 11 years old. And I'll admit it. I'm afraid. And without further fanfare, here is the link to Devil Party Press's Solstice anthology, which includes my flash story "Tinsel."
