There is a jar on the counter. It held mustard once, or maybe pickles — something brined and sharp. It has

There is a particular hesitation humans perform at doorways. Not the ordinary pause of forgetting something, or the brief check

There is something interesting that happens when someone is asked for directions. The person being asked — standing on a corner,

There is a moment, somewhere between sitting down and ordering, where the decision has already been made. You knew what

There is a particular friction that arrives when someone walks into the room at exactly the wrong moment. Not wrong

There is a particular kind of trap that begins with three seconds of sound. Someone hums a fragment near you,

There is a particular kind of reading interruption that has nothing to do with confusion. The sentence was clear. The

There is a moment, familiar to almost everyone, that occurs somewhere between sitting down and ordering. You have already decided.

There is something humans do in waiting rooms, on airplanes, at long tables set for weddings or conferences or funerals.

There is a moment, just after entering a room, when the body begins collecting data before the mind has caught