Tiani Francis Dunn   The Pretty War     Reality shook her to the core. Like the smashing of a crystal jar, she felt broken. The thought of “pretty”, confused her nimble skull. Her voluminous conscious began shaping its own realm of sanity. She didn’t know when she would grow accustomed to the way the world revolved. “If you’re not this, you’re not that” her consciousness uttered. In order to fit in, she let her mind do the heavy bidding. She’d only speak when spoken to and thought it was cool to wear her hair straight. “You must play the game.” Her brain would vigorously shout. “I don’t need to be pretty, I want to get out.” Shaving her head to the scalp she could feel the nasty thoughts fly out. She no longer felt uncomfortable and understood that “pretty” was just a word, and old “sanity” was the terror that fogged her own outspoken judgment. She finally got out. She finally let herself out.