life
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if this year were a book, it would be the kind without periods—just commas—where life kept running, often out of my hands. it’s been a tricky year, one that reminds you the worst might not be behind you, only to surprise you again. and yet, here I am, a year older since I started posting…
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once, on a bus, I felt I’d lived another life, another time. it made me think: if I were somewhere else, lived in a different era, I’d still want to be a musician. to be alive, awake, and tuned into everything, even the things that hurt. I don’t want to die; I just sometimes wish…
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it’s dark at 5 pm now. dinner is at 6 pm. mom and abuela are making something special tonight, Spanish croquettes, one of my favorites. every year, this part of fall sneaks up on me, and I can feel the change in my chest, like a heavy ache. there’s something about losing those daylight hours…
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the first thing I noticed this morning was how mom’s potted plants on our windowsill opened to the sun. then it was the way the light was touching the sky. and then how the street sweepers broke the silence with their heavy metal song. sometimes nothing makes a noise. abuelita says that in a silence…
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last week, while biking from Times Square to Dumbo Park, this couple from out of town stopped me for directions to the Empire State Building. I often get stopped for directions, probably because I look like I know where I’m going. plus I’m not afraid to make eye contact with strangers. you notice a lot…
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today Brooklyn is a beautiful, devastating autumn. it’s a beauty that comes and goes. on the street where I live there’s an old church that glows with the sound of October’s bells. I bike past it every day on my way to the donut shop where I work. (is it called the Doppler effect when…
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our group leader uses this cool exercise to help us reflect on and address the fears in our lives. she calls it fear in a hat. in this exercise, each person anonymously writes down a fear on a piece of paper. you’re supposed to begin with the words, the worst thing that could happen would…
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riding home on the subway tonight, the stars appeared late, as if delayed — each with that familiar look. you know, the look, like they’d been caught in traffic, rushing to the sky, just in time for me to glance up from my book. and in that instant, I remembered every happiness I had ever…
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I have developed a habit of sneaking out at night to the apartment rooftop. it’s kind of surreal to crawl up there right to the edge and hover above Brooklyn. I can spot the schoolyard in the dark, and the dollar tree store, our laundromat and the local diner, all blending into a swirl of…
cookie nieves 