Why We Wordle

Behind every Wordle post is a strong cup of coffee. A night of tossing and turning. A week-long flare. A grieving parent. A blue jay at the feeder tossing seeds back like there's no tomorrow, because he doesn't know from "tomorrow." A moment of stilled concentration amidst the swirl. A dull loneliness. A river on its way home. A hope and a prayer. A furrowed brow and some swearing. A scan of the headlines, a tower of unread books, a writer afraid to write, a woman wondering where the time went and where she put her glasses, a sparrow singing, a soldier lighting a cigarette, a 26-letter alphabet, and the one thing that keeps you coming back, morning after morning: The certitude of there being an answer.