On A Quiet Day

• Happy Eid.

• Slept in. Flood advisory. School closures.

• Pineapple, coconut, ginger, lemon, honey smoothie.

• Daddy, the kids ask, Can we play in the (waist-deep) water? Let’s go!

• Shower and dry off before becoming Spiderman & a unicorn princess.

• Life is calm today, thanks to the noise-cancellation headphones I bought for an upcoming flight.

• The sky spills and collects around us, and this is cuddle-weather. Do you hear me, God? Cuddle weather.

• This is also writing weather. Thank you, Lorde.

• I close my eyes and fall into scenes of memories: I am nineteen, broke, and brave. Every morning, I ride my bike to the bank for two cups of free coffee that will hold me over until late afternoon. I scan my library card, curl between the stacks, and read until I notice my elbows hurting. I check my email for a response to my request for food stamps before weaving through St. Louis traffic to sneak into the Piano Room at the community college to write music and then the dining hall.

• Daddy, we’re hungry…snacks?

• Vegetable Tikka Masala for lunch. It felt good to cook again.

• I worry too much about my ability to write stories with the honor and skill they deserve. Writing is easy—easier than breathing most days when I let go. I have to hold on to that.

• “Another world is not only possible; she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” —Arundhati Roy

• Toya, at her big ole’ age, got new skates. (yikes!)

• Everyone is problematic to a cause.

• Everyone is a hero to a cause.

• short story collection & detox tea.

With all my heart…Té