They say the difference between a hoarder and a collector is that collectors see value in objects others would discard,
while a hoarder believes they need an item to survive. I believe I am a hoarder of perishable people. Prized possessions
my fingers strangled to hold on to. Marks left on the throats of those whose labels had expired years ago. Instead of giving them back
to the earth, recycling the salvageable parts of both of us, I affirm them, polish their scratches and set them back on the shelf
of my body. How they rest so easily in my bed tucked in with all the other stuffed animals I refused to give away.