“The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman

Two days ago, the United States of America celebrated the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris. During the inauguration ceremony, Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman gave a powerful performance of her incredible, original poem, “The Hill We Climb”. Two days later, her words still stay with me. Below is just one of the many standout verses from Amanda’s poem, as well as a link to Amanda’s performance and a transcript of her poem.

[Poetry] Pretty

She says she’s not pretty
But if only she knew
The way I bite my lip
When she smiles with hers
The way she teases me
Like a taboo.

I’m Glad I Live In A World Where There Are Octobers—Year 2020

It’s October again! Okay, technically, it’s the middle of October now, but in my defense, there is a pandemic going on, so time’s been extra-wacky lately.

Still, we are officially in my favorite month of the year, a month that marks the start of everything I love: warm scarves, hot tea, leather jackets, combat boots, golden leaves, longer nights, and…my birthday!

[Poetry] For Them

This poem

Is for the child
Sprinting through the crimson streets
Tripping over the last breaths
Of his father—

For the mother
Protecting her babies’ ears
From the piercing shrieks that echo
Long after the ashes settle—

When The Magic Wears Off: A J.K. Rowling & Harry Potter Post

This is not a rant. This will be concise and to the point.

Since June, a Twitter storm swirled around J.K. Rowling for her tweets regarding transgender issues. Three months later, the storm is nearing Category 5. I won’t detail the timeline of this storm, but here is a link to the tip of the iceberg. You can decide if you want to dig deeper.

So what is the point of this post? The point is, I followed the Twitter storm.

The Harry Potter books are more than just books to me. They are the reason I started writing, since they inspired me to write my first fanfiction about 15 years ago. The Patronus Charm from the books got me through many nights with my inner dementors. So, I read all the tweets, I read J.K. Rowling’s lengthy blog post defending her stance, I read the criticism, and I struggled to separate the creator from the creation, the nostalgia from the reality, the fangirl from the human being.

Rest In Peace, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

This is not a poem.

Where do I find the words
To convey the shock,
The stillness of the air,
The fading of the sounds,
As I read the news that she is gone.

[Poetry] Human

It is easy to look at our humanity
And see all the ways it is cruel.

Sometimes,
We are blessed to have someone
With quiet strength and unquestionable courage,
With the grace of a king and the will of a warrior,
To remind us of all the ways
Our humanity is not yet lost.

Vote. Wear a Mask. Thank you.

One of the best friends, who works in local government and community affairs, decided to take the knowledge she’s acquired and create an accurate and easy-to-understand guide explaining absentee voting. This way, every one of our voices can be heard in the crucial, upcoming United States election on November 3rd.

Since the best friends and I are New Yorkers, the following guide will only be applicable for New Yorkers, specifically for NYC. The absentee voting process works differently outside of NYC, i.e. for Long Island and Upstate New York.

Road Trip & Surviving A Ferris Wheel With The Best Friends

If you had known, a year ago, that a global pandemic was coming in 2020, what would you have done differently? Me? I would have tried harder to see the world outside of my apartment.

[Poetry] The Leaves Are On Fire

The leaves are on fire,
The wind tastes like ashes,
The oceans are drying
Into trenches and gashes,
Slashed across the surface
Of a dull, blunt stone
That used to be beautiful
But now, it dies alone.