not every programmer is an idealist who's imaginative and good at learning not every teacher has an abiding passion and spirit of deep inquiry not every small business owner cares about your experience and small-town values as much as they care about the sale and not every piece of bread comes from the middle of the loaf celi made her own toast this morning. it was a shrivelled-up little end sliver from a half-stale store-bought loaf; she left it in too long and set off the smoke alarm and by the time she got around to eating it it was too cold to melt the butter that she painstakingly globbed on with an unskilled knife. and all that rings my pathos bell, hard, but she probably didn't even think twice or even see it that way. she'll be fine, because of not despite all this. (2015)