we had just parked under a tree outside a tavern here in cyprus. my husband opened the car door and the heat came in. i stayed in my seat for a moment, reading a message sent through my website under someone else's name. another followed later.

i have not found a way to make social media work for me. years of trying, deleting profiles, starting again, repeating the cycle. i've collected likes, but you can't live on likes.

ordinary conversation would introduce skin colour as if it is part of a person's name. we went to a new restaurant, and the manager is a black man. this is a mild example, almost polite, but it's offered like it explains something essential.