Drawn. Erased. Redrawn. A derby instead of a Stetson. Erased. Redrawn with an eggplant nose, pencil-dot eyes. Eyes erased. Replaced with slashes. A handlebar mustache switched out for a Hitler. Voiced by a heavy-drinking man. Then a heavy-smoking woman. Finally, by a nine-year-old girl. Protagonist. Demoted to background character. Cut.

Joshua Michael Stewart is the author of three poetry collections. His work has appeared in the Massachusetts Review, Salamander, New Flash Fiction Review, and elsewhere.