Have you ever flown internationally? Something strange happens when you pack two hundred people together in a confined space for nine to twelve hours. We lose all sense of propriety; really, it takes a strong individual to stand on formality past the second hour. First shoes come off, before you know it we’re telling deepest …
In Her Eyes
My daughter has eyes like Brazilian coffee So dark that when she looks upward they reflect the sky. “Oh look!” they say, “Her eyes are turning blue! How wonderful!” “Mmmm…” I say. Not really. Her hair began a dark cloud and is brightening to the sunny brown of my childhood. “Oh look!” they say, “She’s …
How Many Ways to Say I Love You
The meat was sizzling on the grill. The men huddled round puffing at the flames and performing arcane rituals to minimize the smoke and maximize the heat. The women were in our kitchen pulling together some side dishes. Carrots were being grated. Collard greens were being chopped. Community news (i.e., gossip) was being shared. I …
Wonder
As we filled up our plates and were about to sit down to dinner my honey looked at me from under sheepish eyebrows and said “I’m going to eat dinner in front of the movie, ok?” Which is fine because I’ve been known to make the same call for a riveting episode of C.S.I–who am …
The Things People Say
I don’t know if my husband knows it but when we first started dating he had competition, a very sweet friend of a friend. One night I picked up a phone call from the hospital, calling to see if I was free to come in and interpret in the Emergency Room. When I arrived it quickly …
Holding On
We just wanted to see the fireworks and a police blockade stood in our way. The crowd broke through, and we ran. We ran like our lives depended on it because it did. When you’ve got no papers the boys in blue aren’t your friends. We just wanted to see the fireworks so I grabbed …
Hands
My hands have blisters in the most incredible places. The tip of my pinky, the edge of my palm, along my heart line, two in the moon of my index. Each has a name, like constellations: the mark of the hoe the scythe the pickaxe the wheelbarrow the shovel. My lover is dismayed. He cups …
