I'm logging hours for payroll when a child approaches, her eyes fixated on my hands as she extends her own, palms hidden of course. I say, "What's up?" Her reply is simple: "A gift for you. A flower." She takes my hand, opens her own, and deposits a pencil shaving where once was bare. As she skips away, I vow to cherish the gift, the trash which is now a tiny treasure. My palms will remain open for the duration of my shift, so as not to crush the delicate thing. These small joys are all I could ever need.
“A sad philosopher trying to create something that matters,” Elliot Gray Boodhan’s writing is transformative. His chapbook to have survived is available from Bottlecap Press. “Little Things” is the Editor’s Pick for our THE JOY IN THE UNSEEN contest, part of our 2026 Micromemoir Marathon.