I love you
without knowing how
or when or where,
Category: Volume 19
Life
Life is like a storm
When wind gusts blow up
My old shelter breaks into pieces
Hello, Dorian
This is Annette. Thanks for inviting me into your home and for being my best friend. First, I want you to know that I had a good mother. She raised me by herself because my father abandoned the family. I grew up without a dad in my life. When I really needed a dad to talk to, he was nowhere to be found.
For Jack
I never went to high school, but I passed the TASC exam and received my High School Equivalency diploma in 2017. In New York, there are programs offering a chance to acquire HSE credentials to someone who hasn’t been able to complete high school. That is, if you can pass all five tests, including reading, writing, social studies, science, and mathematics. The program I joined was founded by a 92-year-old man who had two teachers and a receptionist working with him. Approximately 30 students studied there.
Farewell, Ms. Mystery Lady
This is a sad story, and it might leave a hole in my heart forever. I’ll call her A. We had been working at the same company headquarters in China for five years. However, we never got to know each other and were both transferred to New York City. During the first five months I worked here, we were nothing but coworkers.
Chicken Memories
I love Africa. I do not remember when our relationship was born. I grew up watching documentaries and reading encyclopedias. I viewed images of famine, Mandela free, and I was transported and dreamed, thanks to the magic of landscapes, colors, music, and chants. My native Mexico has some people with African origins, but we do not talk about it a lot. I was so happy to meet and learn more from the African people after my arrival in Paris.
Reunion
The winds of fall strongly blew down many yellow maple leaves. I quickly ran out of the train station. I was worried I wouldn’t catch the bus. Suddenly, a familiar body was walking at my side.
Irresistible
Maybe eating tacos wasn’t cheating on my diet.
Maybe going on a diet was cheating on my tacos.
When I Get Old
When I get old, I will live in my own house and enjoy the peacefulness of life.
When I get old, I will stop leading a busy life and leisurely garden in my backyard.
When I get old, I will keep learning new things and make my old life full of freshness every day.
The Experience of Saying Goodbye
I have many experiences of saying goodbye to my dad and brothers when they were dying. During these difficult times, even when sad emotions stir in your heart, you should put on a peaceful face and allow time to pass. Saying goodbye becomes very serious and hits hard in those moments.
Lost and Found
“What would you like?” asked a barista in Dunkin’ Donuts when it was my husband’s turn to get his coffee.
“Large coffee with milk and two sugars, please,” replied my husband, Omar. When the lady went to make his coffee, however, he noticed a wallet on the counter. Looking toward the door, he saw that the man who had been in front of him was leaving.
The Light of a Survivor
Deep in the intimacy of my soul, full of darkness, fears, and sorrows, there is a tiny light of hope, a very thin but strong string that suspends me in the infinite waves of my despair and doesn’t let me fall all the way down. It is this little force inside that helps me overcome the tumbling days of my history. It leads me to go forward one more day, to continue on the road; it makes me accept my mistakes, defeat my fears and convert my sorrows into calm. It turns me into a survivor.
Unreliable Eyewitnesses
I was traveling with my family to Key West, and we decided to stop for paddleboarding. We were very excited about that because it was the first time for each of us. After instructions, we got our paddleboards, and the owners also provided us waterproof pockets for our cell phones.
Lessons from a Lawsuit
I never thought I would be a restaurant owner before I moved to the United States. For six years I have owned and run a fancy dine-in Thai restaurant on Long Island. When I first became a restaurant owner, it was not easy. I felt very stressed every day in the first few years, but eventually everything started to run smoothly. Despite the long hours and often feeling exhausted, I was happy because my restaurant paid my bills and took care of my family. I thought my life would continue like this until I retired, but one day everything changed.
The Chair
I used to work in a medical clinic with two floors, and because of the equipment, there were a few compressed gas cylinders. One day, we were working when a noise started (it sounded like a whistle), and someone shouted, “It’s the gas; the clinic is going to explode!”