The Burn

"The Color of Pain" by Ellery D Margay

Age twelve and you’re in the living room with Mom and Jane Fonda—Jane 2D slim, all headband, leg warmers, butt floss, mom 3D thick on the avocado shag rug, all sweatsuit struggle, the T.V. so loud the window panes shudder rattle shake at Jane’s roar, Feel the burn, no pain no gain, Mom’s veins pop-dancing, and you kick with Jane—high, higher, highest—cheeks flaming, remembering yesterday on the bus when you felt a hot gush, saw red seep through the crotch of your white Calvin jeans, the ones you bought after months of babysitting, the ones that fit your Fonda-slim hips, the ones Dad said make you look like Brooke Shields in a magazine, and now they’re ruined and you’re ruined and everything’s ruined and you won’t fit into them ever again anyway because Mom says all your friends got fat after they got their periods and isn’t that a shame? and men approve of skinny girls, that’s what they want, and you know it’s true, because you remember Mom, toothpick-thin just last year before the shouting before the binging before the elastic-waisted pants, before, you remember a boy who rode your bus, who snuck up on the roof, who peeped through the skylight of Mom’s bathroom when she was naked in the shower, and when Mom screamed Dad chased him down the street with a shotgun, but this year no boys no prowling no shotgun no Dad, it’s just you and Mom and Jane Fonda—and you burn and burn and burn.

About the Author

Kelli Short Borges writes from her home in Phoenix, Arizona, where her family has lived for six generations. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Gone Lawn, Fictive Dream, Cleaver, Your Impossible Voice, and Moon City Review, among many other journals. Kelli’s stories have won contests and been nominated for Best of the Net and Best Small Fictions. Recently, her work was chosen for Best Microfiction 2024. She is currently working on her first novel.

About the Artist

Ellery D. Margay is a fiction writer, poet, and mixed media collage artist with a passion for finding the beauty in all things dark and strange. His aesthetic influences range far and wide—the natural lines of art nouveau, the intricate drama of Gothic and baroque architecture, the symbolism of the surrealists, and the lush gold and jewel tones of ancient times—all with a sharp modern edge. In pursuit of a cohesive theme or meaning, he pairs found objects and antiques with sculpture, bones, butterflies, beetles, and painted details, often hiding snippets of his original poetry in the background or around the frame. Though relatively new to the art world, he is proud to say that his work has already been featured in four publications.