Author:

Celebrating Community

“Thanks to Princeton, the opportunity was created for the students—but the rest? That’s on them.”

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Unfurnished Furnished

“These photos of Schisto from this past June depict two prefabricated housing units. The first set is an empty trailer just before new residents moved in. The second set is the trailer of Mohammed (pictured in the doorway) and his family.”

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A Lesson on Grieving

“The brush strokes the bottom of the eyelid first, then the center, then the edge. The tip of the eyeliner presses against skin that, with time, will begin to hold creases that resemble hers.”

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first love

“cicadas he dares not search for
but whose song fills him,
whose notes he knows well.”

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to the person whose bed i slept in one night

“we do not speak anymore, this person whose bed I slept in one night. seeing you reminds me of how childlike I felt, and I refuse to feel that frightened anymore.”

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Journal Square

“At the edge of Jersey City is a field of black dirt. For one stretch of the field, two rows of thin, yellow shrubs run along an idle road, planted without any intention for longevity.”

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Snow

This week, Andrew likes the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His parents are relieved that his Bieber phase seems to have ended; last week, every time they got in the car, Andrew would say, “De-spa-ci-to.” And so they would listen to “Despacito” on repeat.

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Family Stickers

“I have never been able to understand why Americans need to make sure trailing traffic knows that they voted for Clinton, alternatively want to put Clinton in jail, or just really want to highlight the difference between heritage and racism.”

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Morning in Seven Glimpses

“Evening stays in the sheets as Morning rises barefoot to set the kettle and run cold water down her neck.”

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Trains

There is a certain passivity and convenience embodied both in the physical experience of train riding and in the indifferent machines themselves. Suspended between origin and destination: mandated leisure.

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Teeth

He’s quiet, sleeping almost, naked and thin on the bed. I could leave and he wouldn’t notice, mouth open to the dark gun of his throat, teeth apart.

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Lessons in Stupidity

“My eyes darted between the two security cameras on the roof. Despite feeling cynical lately about the effectiveness of government, I had a feeling that these cameras were both working and monitored around the clock. I felt so patriotic.”

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