Mary Kate Baker

Mary Kate Baker grew up in Chattanooga, TN and holds a BA in English from the University of Iowa. Her work has appeared in Rainy Day Magazine and Fish Food Magazine.

The Bear

I was a child and already I could tell my dad was not paying attention the way he should. It was as if he had forgotten that living things grew. He forgot with my older brothers, lanky-limbed with pants that grew too short, leaving their bony ankles exposed. He forgot with me, my little girl body moving toward a brink of change that no one would explain to me.