*

New York City,

my university of life

where friends are hard to find

in the midst of dark solitude

*

New York City,

the center of wealth

where people live for money

alive in luxurious cemeteries

*
*

Maria de los Angeles Chacon, age 34, is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, and has lived in the U.S. since 2016. She writes, “I’m a caregiver. I’m learning English so that I can get a better job, perhaps as a bank officer.” She studies writing with Jovito de la Paz at the Queens Public Library’s Elmhurst Adult Learning Center, where the Library Literacy Center manager is Michelle Johnston.