Arrow Rock Literary Journal

Milk spills on the floor, purple cup. My hands are that of a child’s, clumsy and small. And so it goes, click, clack—across the tile. My mom’s shrill voice, rising as my eyes well with tears. I think I cried. I don’t remember. Kaleidoscope vision, jumping rope. Gym class, and the sound of dozens of plastic jump ropes whipping and cracking across the floor. It is a hurricane of sound and my mind drowns in it. Faces blur and colors smear. Is it the whirl of the jump rope? Or is it because my memory is spilling over? I still don’t remember. Purple cup, jump rope.

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Ray Kruger is a biracial and transgender writer who enjoys writing both poetry and prose. He will be graduating with an English degree with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Lindenwood University in Spring 2025. He has been previously published in Arrow Rock literary journal in the 16th Issue and is working on getting published in more literary journals.