Beautiful girlfriend: I thought you liked me for my personality.
Realistic boyfriend: It’s okay.

“Nails are too long, can’t remember to cut them they are colored with everything I hold like the skin of orange peel— a citrus flesh that never bleeds”

“Although the river and its people share the past, on this afternoon, the burden seems unevenly placed. The man whose socks are drying on the concrete can rest in peace knowing that his story has ended.”

“It was through squatting that Cörtlen developed an interest in radical politics.”

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

“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.”

“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.”


“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.”

“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.”

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.

“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.”

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

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.

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.

“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.”
Beautiful girlfriend: I thought you liked me for my personality.
Realistic boyfriend: It’s okay.