Finally wrote the bit I've been dodging for a month

Not a punchline yet, just the shape of it—about the way a crowd's silence has weight to it, like a dog who won't get off the bed until you admit you're faking being fine. Took me four cups of bad truck-stop coffee to stop being clever about it and just say what I meant. Feels less like writing and more like getting your coat back from lost & found.