Janna Grace, “Why Do Snapchats Disappear?

And why do videos of flour being smoothed and colored sand poked soothe us? Do they tell us what we used to do before we watched?

Kids these days are having sex much less but there’s so much more to view. They do less drugs too why did we want them more, do they need them less?

Does watching celebrities make waffles or buy Girl Scout cookies with dog ears transposed on their faces make them more real? Us less? (Should we just add another “e”?) These questions make me feel stupid because when everyone knows the answer or can find it in a second’s search— who gets credit for asking?

When I was a child I used to wonder how they built bridges. What did they do when they made it halfway, across the water?

Is there a moment when you are hanging closer to the other side, too committed to get back to your start? Do you keep adding the pieces, anyway or do stilts hold you up the entire distance so you can kick them out when you reach the other side?

I think now I would rather floating bridges, stretching, like giant lily pads across the amazon river. Their roots might clasp beneath in the murk like thousands of thin-necked dragons now and then, but their faces shine over the surface and can support the weight of a child on their own.