Poetry: Desire

People tell me that I’m so strongthat they would instantly foldunderneath the pressurebut how do they not seethe creases, the linesscreaming for a day of restto sleep completely undisturbedand have the chanceto unfold. This skin—my skin always cravesendless nightsanother opportunityto dream.

5 Things To Do When You’re In a Rut

There is no denying that life is often a rollercoaster with many ups, and many more downs. We can rarely have one without the other. Call it equivalent exchange, karma, what have you, but we cannot experience success all the time. Most people will periodically fall into a rut.These can last anywhere from a few

Living With Driving Anxiety

Unlike the typical American teen, I did not receive my driver’s license in high school. While my friends spent afternoons in driver’s ed, behind the wheel or a desk, I walked home through the heat of the Hawaiian sun. Even throughout college, I commuted by bus or, if I was lucky, caught a ride with

Poetry: Still; Praying

I am always lookingat a portrait of youdrawn or photographedsmiling down at me Most days I still find youalive and well in this roomeither catching your breathor dancing along to a melody in your headas I watch from the hallwaywith both hands claspedin a fervent prayer Even now I plead with Godwith the same requestthat

What I Learned Fasting From Soda

Finally, the Easter season is upon us which also means the end of Lent. The end of no meat on Fridays, the end of fasting from soda (yes, that was my Lenten fast), and the end of solemn and reverent song selections for Mass. Welcome Easter celebrations and singing Alleluia at the top of our

Still Dancing

I always remember how you danced around the kitchen table, swaying left to right with steps so light that I was afraid you would fly away. But you were tethered to this earth. By choice, by divine intervention, by a lifeline of oxygen pumping air into your lungs. Prior to lunch you always sang the

No Longer Normal

Over these past few weeks, it feels as if I’ve heard a collective sigh of relief from America. That is mainly due to the easing of restrictions of masking, of social distancing, of in person gatherings. Companies are asking their employees to return back to the office, students have already begun to repopulate empty campuses,

A Story of How to Fly

For months, possibly even a year or more, my grandfather kept two birds, rock pigeons, in a cage suspended four feet off the ground. The cage, although big enough to house the two, did not allow them enough space to spread their wings and fly. Despite this, my grandfather kept them there for reasons unknown

What Rejection Teaches A Writer

Many might believe that to become a writer you must write well. You must be able to flesh out various characters, create a compelling plot, and be able to weave in elegance with the mundane. Essentially, you are a magician, creating something out of nothing. Wingardium Leviosa—or so they say. Other characteristics of a writer

A Returning Catholic’s Guide to Lent

To think, we are already two years into the coronavirus pandemic. Life Pre-Covid (PC) seems like a far off dream, a memory that we long to relive over and over once again. Thankfully, with the introduction of vaccines and boosters, we’re able to safely step outside and be around others while continuing to uphold cautionary