“This is one of the best examples of professional development that I have ever experienced.”
SI Anthology
This is an anthology post.
El Tiempo Pasa
Saniego
stepped down the damp metallic staircase to the moldy cement floor of the
prison that had held his father since 1991; he never thought he would be here.
Imprints
I hold Kyla, my four-year-old daughter, in the pool. She traces the black and faded two inch long tattoo of a footprint on my bicep. The delineations are hazy and imprecise, except for the toes that appear like pencil pricks.
San Francisco: A Sestina
For Mark Overmeyer
Impossible architecture straddles each hillside.
Today, no fog appears on little cat feet.
Winding streets create relief in my heart: I didn’t learn to drive stick on these streets.
Chilled water licks my toes and the sandy shore.
In view, the sweet Golden Gate Bridge spanning the bay of gray water.
Calves and hamstrings strain as legs stride upward-
Always progressing upward.
My eyes move along, hillside to hillside-
Russian Hill, Nob Hill…. Victorian details, delicate like water-
Deal Breaker
Deal breaker
The deal breaker for any relationship seems to be when a boyfriend tries to teach his girlfriend a sport. I have seen countless relationships break apart and go down in flames on a snowboard, in a ski run, ina freezing cold river stuck in a kayak, or on hanging onto the face of the Flatirons. They all seem to go something like this:
The River
The River
The river dances around my ankles,
Turning my pale winter white feet red with its cold constant licks.
I feel the giant heaving of the rubber rafts as people tumble into it,
Each person more unsure of what they are about to embark on.
Pushing off into the river I say my goodbyes to the land,
The Samba Lesson
The odors overwhelm me. Fish are frying in the kitchen while drunken men from Dona Maria’s bar stumble in and out of consciousness, reeking with alcohol and clove cigarettes. The smell of fresh cow dung in the road fights its way into the house and battles the overpowering scent of cheap perfume.
Step 1: Place one foot behind you and keep it straight while keeping the other in front slightly bent.
history of love in salt
we've become strangers.
we had tears saved in tiny corked bottles,
labeled: hesitation, jealousy, lust, desperation, love.
but even the tears have evaporated,
leaving behind tiny crystal reminders.
a toppled salt shaker lies tipped on its side between us.
translucent pieces of geometric cubic perfection, pulverized.
the grist mill’s final product covers the table, stubbornly staying
though we’re aching to leave.
despite awkward messages--
late night conversations--
all aboard the chicken bus
all aboard the chicken bus:
tales from the open road...
My first venture aboard the infamous chicken bus is with Andulina, the mother of my home-stay family. She insists on accompanying me on my first trip into the city so I will not get lost – no estoy perdida.
Position Paper
Religion rules the world. Sure, atheists exist, but they only comprise roughly 2.5% of the world’s population. To put that figure in perspective, there are still more people in the world today who believe in ancient tribal rites (often referred to as Animism) then there are atheists. The rest of the earth’s inhabitants have some sense of a higher power. It would therefore stand to reason, that, whether it be blatantly or subtly, faith in all its various forms influences daily life for billions of people.
Love in the Time of Terror
“You don’t need to come to the gate. I can just get out here.”
Dad circled the parking garage. Level after level was full so he turned up the ramp to our fifth and final chance.
“No,” he said. “I’ll come in with you.”
Finally, we found a spot and he waited in line with me until I got my boarding pass.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” I said, reaching out for a hug.
“We have a few minutes. Let’s get a cup of coffee.”
