I don’t want to pry, you say, the but silent, implying tell me everything. You’re too polite that way, and politeness got you into your various predicaments in the first place, fingers grazing forearms, texts sent with the right amount of too much whiskey. But really, you both want to impolitely pry each other. You both want to stand in the field, gripping crowbars, mangling the box, listening to the crunch of metal on wood, insisting the splinters don’t hurt, holding each other close as you brush away the grime and sawdust from your flannel shirts, wiping the sweat from your foreheads with the backs of your hands, peering into the open container, knowing what’s inside, yet wanting to believe in the possibility of wonder. — James Yates is a contributing editor to Longform, and received his MFA from Roosevelt University in Chicago in 2015. His work has appeared in Hobart, Split Lip Magazine, Necessary Fiction, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, and other publications. He lives and writes in Lafayette, Louisiana. Artwork by: Britnie Walston Britnie Walston is a Maryland based versatile artist and photographer, capturing energy through light, vibrant color, depth, and texture. The use of exaggerated brushstrokes and abstract color give her paintings life and voice. Her landscapes and abstract work consist of a variety of unconventional techniques to capture the elements portrayed. One of the most used techniques in her abstract paintings, is the method of mixing each individual color using acrylic paint, floetrol, silicone, and water. Together, they create “cell like” forms. Links BNWArt.com/portfolio
nonfiction

I Don’t Want to Pry

by James Yates

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