hashtags never sit well with me. i always feel the urge to sand them furiously, to wear down the jagged edges until they fit neatly in my palm and don’t cut so deeply. but i recognize their power within the sphere of social media, especially as a tool to weave together experiences that would otherwise have sat isolated. typing out #MeToo, as much as it hurts to lance the wound(s) i’ve let fester quietly so long (too long?), connects my experience, my pain, to others’ stories.