Ang E. Miller
Casual Conversation
Cigarette smoke clung to the popcorn ceiling
as she breathed out slowly,
eyes gently closed
against the summer humidity.
Every morning I wake contemplating
killing myself. I would do it—
but who would watch Jamie?
The smoke trailed after her words.
Sipping my vodka lemonade, I silently counted
the butts in the overflowing ashtray.
Outside, Jamie's raft dipped and bobbed
alone in the swimming pool.
Bio
Ang E. Miller is a high school English teacher who is described as a builder of unapologetic, transformative sanctuaries for youth. Rooted in Chicago's northwest suburbs, she has carved out many safe spaces, particularly for queer voices and bodies to be themselves. Beyond teaching, she is the advisor for the Animation Club, the Gender-and-Sexualities Alliance, the Literary Arts Magazine, and the Creative Writing Club in her school; a coach for her district's Slam Poetry Team; and the Director of the Youth Poet Laureate Program for the Fox River Valley. She serves on numerous committees, including her district's Equity and Inclusion council. Her most recent accolades include a Slam Poetry partnership with Children's Theatre of Elgin in 2020 and the Most Outstanding Cooperating Teacher Award from Northern Illinois University in 2022. When she's not working or writing, she spends her time lecturing her dog for eating the yarn she's crocheting with.