Exploring themes of purification, healing, and rebirth, this six-part lyrical essay is as insightful as it is moving, as cerebral as it is from the heart. Castillo writes, “I will help her drag all of it up that hill. Because I know in my bones, my healing starts with her healing. And to do otherwise would be to work around the scar tissue and we deserve better than that.” That rare combination of clear-eyed wisdom and pitch-perfect voice lends this piece its quiet and singular power.
