My father came home a war hero, quiet and handsome in his leather flight jacket, with souvenirs—an enemy sword, a dented helmet.

I was a piggish child, thin and small. I wore glasses and would eat anything—it was my way of knowing the world. I ate mold, weeds, shoe polish, and fish food. I tasted shit.

She hadn’t seen her children or grandchildren for so long she sometimes forgot she had them. Then Child Protective Services found her.

The Everyday Loves and Beauty of Inanna—Found in 4,000 year-old Clay Tablets