First published 2015
A little boy finds himself caught in a playground confrontation when Hawk pecks him on the head during their game. The boy points to the spot where he was hurt, but Hawk dismisses the incident, claiming no harm was done. When the little boy insists he was injured, Hawk grows impatient with what he sees as oversensitivity. The hawk tells the boy that if he's going to cry whenever someone merely looks at him, he can't participate in their activities. The little boy fights back tears, denying that he's crying even as he struggles to contain his sobs. Despite his protest, he gets placed with the other captives as the game continues and Hawk returns to play. Through this brief but telling exchange, Hurston captures the raw dynamics of childhood power struggles and the pain of exclusion that comes when vulnerability meets indifference.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, 20th-century, african-american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: power-struggle, vulnerability
80 pages · Paperback · Createspace