______________

MORTALITY:

mor•tal-i•ty

| môr'taladé |

Noun (plural mortalities)

1.) The state of being subject to death.

2.) Death, especially on a large scale.

• (also mortality rate) the number of deaths

in a given area or period, or from a

particular cause.

______________

I stare at the definition, sitting in the middle of the crowded class. The book fuzzes beneath my fingers, swirling words and dancing sentences. I’m confused, reading and rereading the sentences.

This isn’t right, no.

Mortality isn’t this.

I put the pen to the paper, scribbling out the printed definition. Slowly, I begin to write carefully, correcting each line.

Mortality is the ability to feel pain.

Mortality is bleeding, red wounds.

Crying rivers, puddles of worry.

This is the ability to be insane.

Mortality is the ability to be.

To breathe in and out, freely.

The ability to dance in the rain,

Mortality is crash and burn.

It’s living and dying,

Sleeping and waking.

Mortality, part of us.

No. I scratch that out.

It is us.