you taught her to talk less
better seen and not heard
you went so far as to tell her
that people would take her more seriously
if she spoke less
because it would imply that any time she does talk
it must be important
for her to break her silence
it’s always the quiet ones
who are perceived as smart
and as having things worth saying
yet somehow
ever since you’ve told her this
the pen hasn’t left her hand
-3/4 cup brown sugar (can be light or dark, up to you!)
-1 egg
-1/2 cup molasses
-2 tsp vanilla
Recipe Instructions:
-In a bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 TBS ginger, 1 1/3 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp cloves until it’s all blended together very well.
-In another bowl, cream together 6 TBS unsalted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 egg.
-Add in 1/2 cup molasses and 2 tsp vanilla and stir very well.
-Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until blended and smooth.
-Divide dough in half, then wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for 2-8 hours.
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a couple of pans with wax paper.
-Roll out the dough with flour and cut cookies about 1/4 inch thick.
-Bake 1 pan at a time for 7-10 mins, depending on how soft or how crunch you want the cookies to by.
-Let stand and firm enough to move to a drying rack.
-1/4 cup light brown sugar (plus more for rolling the cookies)
-1 large egg yolk
-3 TBS molasses
Recipe Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a pan with wax paper.
-In a blow, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp salt, and set aside.
-In another bowl, stir together 1/4 cup light brown sugar and 4 TBS melted unsalted butter.
-Combine the two mixtures and stir until fully incorporated.
-Add in 1 egg yolk and 3 TBS molasses. Stir until combined.
-Chill for 15 mins.
-After chilling, scoop out 10-12 balls of cookie dough and roll it in the sugar or sprinkles. Then, place on the lined pan and bake for 8-10 mins. The cookies should crack.
it happens in phases
first they’ll pretend to be your friend
and they’ll compliment you
and flatter you
so that you let your guard down
until they peel back enough layers
that they find the pink in your flesh
then they bite
and they rip
and they smile
as they pick your skin out of their teeth
and they ask you
what’s wrong?
and you give them a cup of your blood to drink
then your skeleton stiffens
and you claw free
there’s some back and forth
an apology with far too many “you” words
and things seem temporarily normal
before the chaos leaks back in
insanity repeats itself
but now new phases are slowly introduced
the compliments return
but strictly in front of those jealous of you
insincere or not
(though they are)
it makes no difference
they’ll ensure you have no real allies
while they praise your work ethic
and tell you how nice your hair looks
when you can’t remember the last time you washed it
they’ll seek out whoever remains in your corner
and try to turn you against them
since their other tactics didn’t work on everyone
they’ll work to obliterate every lifeline
and they’ll wait until you have no one left
to stop the phase of insincere compliments
they’ll tear you down
both behind your back and in front of everyone
they’ll diminish every accomplishment of yours
and your one defense
is being better than them in everything you
think, say, and do
and let your work speak for itself
because it won’t even be a comparison
after they’ve spent all their energy on you
instead of channeling their energy
towards improving themselves