In this episode of Paper Brain, I explore my family's history with Alzheimer's disease, my parents' somewhat rocky relationship, and my own journey towards becoming closer to my dad. My coming out, I think, is the final step on that journey.

This episode contains discussions of alcohol abuse.

All music in this episode was composed by Kevin MacLeod and can be found at incompetech.com.

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A Father's Paper Brain (2014)by Melody Peter Young

Your mind is in recycled boxes and taped to our cabin wallson sticky notes, frayed paper faces and ripped pieces ofcalendars. Your words all jumbled, built of runny dry-erase ink. Birthdays, passwords, piled to mountains,you don’t live in the redwoods anymore. You don’tlive in your shoes or your metal-worn hands,you exist in paper: trucks of it, packets,leaves, dangling from corners likethe wailing streamers of a NewYear’s horn. You live there,prodding eternity withone hand, nudging mewith another. Papercurls, ink fades;but your laughstill burstsbetweenmy teethin shavenshardsof air.