The Desperate Place
A Memoir
by Gail GodwinSelected for the Pushcart Prize series, 2023
[de- + sperare; de = reverse the action of + sperare = to hope]
I can’t see a way out of this.
Things will not necessarily get better.
This is my life, but I may not get to do what I want in it.
Things will not necessarily get better.
This is my life, but I may not get to do what I want in it.
This is the language that speaks to you in the desperate place.
A place from which you lack the means or power to escape.
A place in which you realize that someone you love does not, and will not ever, love you back.
A place in which you acknowledge your steep falling off in health, or strength, or status. A place in which you must accept that you are losing ground, losing face.
