“Atonement”
Shame holds fast in small towns. Seeps into sidewalk cracks and paint-peeled porches. Gossiped about after grocery store run-ins and spottings of familiar bumper stickers. I should leave, quit as the town’s official “Cautionary Tale.” But I stay, and year after year the newspaper references get shorter and shorter. This year only the words “tragic joyride,” “local girl,” and “sledding” made it into page B3. Omitted were “Blood Alcohol Content,” “juvenile,” and “civil suit.” They renamed her “local girl, age 16,” forgot her real name. But I keep it. Weekly, I wander through leaves, brush, snow. Weekly I polish her plaque. Weekly I keep her name.
Notes: I'm not crazy about this piece. But I've been sitting on it for the past few days and I've hit my wall on how to edit it. The ending seems weak and I'm not sure I like anything after "spottings of familiar bumper stickers." Again, this is my call to critiques. Please?
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Keep it nice. I like constructive criticism, though. Anything racist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or misogynist will not be posted. Duh.