First, I resisted. Then, surrendered. Learned to stop worrying and love phone. Glazed eyes. Screen glows. Dopamine, Cortisol, flows on and off, back and forth between videos of baby animals and war. Hypertextual abundance.

I’m 13 years old and I’m so neuroplastic. Every day I form new synapses. I learn to dream in 140 characters or less. Casting spells in strings of emojis. Digital Hieroglyphs. Summoning strangers.

Hello Lizzy Grant. Sparkle Jump Rope Queen. Teach me how to be a girl online. Lying in bed, kicking my feet in the air. So coy. So fresh. So excited. ​

Hello webcam. Hello digital reflection. Self portrait in 720p. Hello to my new Omegle 90 second best friends. One face blurs into the next. Every person has an exit button. Every bad feeling has an escape hatch. ​

Light a candle. Send a like to say a prayer for all the ghosts floating out in the ether. Spiritual power imbued in digital matter. The internet; my favourite haunted house. Forward this email to 15 people OR ELSE!!!!!!!! ​

Metal black portal with my face as the key. Holds my secrets transcribed into code. My notes app lore. Glass splinters from my cracked screen. My fingers are bleeding but I’m not worried, I love Phone.