“Let’s have some friends over,” she probes.

I nod, because I love her.

When they come, their lips call.
Their gestures implore.
Their eyes beseech.

My smile is a rigid rictus.
My words, a shield or a sword.

When they go home, I close the door and retreat into myself.

Seth Pilevsky lives in New York with his wife and five kids. His work has appeared in What Doesn’t Kill You, a YA anthology published by Indomita Press, Maelstrom, The Inner Circle Writers’ Group Literary Anthology 2019, Long Island Literary Journal, Literally Stories, Memoir Magazine and Stinkwaves Magazine. Sign up for updates at his website, spilevsky.com.