she is in a canoe in a trough and she has a virtual reality helmet on her head. She rows steadily but the constant-flow current pushing against her and her craft keep her stationary

while the vr changes what she sees, which are ghosts against a backdrop of dizzying riverbank

mountainscapes. the ghosts are the real-life characters in playlets plucked from her memories, moments good and bad from her relationships, that through biofeedback were chosen

as appropriate “life lessons.” they serve to distract her from the ache of her exertions

and, it is hoped, help her to process what happened between her and her lovers

so that she might move on. the lining under her eyes inside the helmet is of a material

that wicks away her tears and sweat.

two good cries and 90 minutes of strong pulling, and the bell chimes and the images fade

and the current ebbs to stillness. she wonders

when the apparatus will deem it non-traumatic and therapeutic

to show scenes of her with carlita

and jules and marcus.