Friday, March 6, 2015

Cement and a Baby Food Jar

I arrived here at Denny’s to do homework and needed to get my backpack out of my trunk. As I was walking to my trunk, I lost track of the cement barrier used to stop the cars from going over a curb. I knew it was there and I even picked my foot up to step over it. But, I was too late. 

I went down. 

As I am sprawled with my left leg tucked under me and my elbow in the grass, I take an assessment of myself and I seem to be doing just fine. Nothing is screaming in pain and I can still feel all my fingers and toes.

I hear a voice, “Are you ok?” 

There’s a lady a couple of cars down who saw the whole thing. “Yes, I'm fine. Thanks so much.” 

“Do you need help up?” 

I giggle. “No, I'm good. Thank you for asking. That's really sweet.”

I look down at the grass where my elbow is currently encased in cold mud and see that there is a shattered baby food jar right near my hand. “Whew! That could have been bad.”
I hobble myself off the ground and notice some red spots on the curb. Then a couple more. Apparently I did NOT miss the baby food jar. My pinky had a large piece of skin that was “shaved” off.

Nice.

I wrap my finger in a napkin from my car (thanks to the example set forth by my father, I had plenty) and go inside to the bathroom. Good thing no one was in there because it looked like I had killed someone. Who knew a pinky could bleed so much? I wrapped it up in a paper towel and secured it with a hair tie from my bag. Linda, the manager, took one look at my bandage and told me that, "It's ok, Mexicans do that, too." She then got me a Band-aid.

So now, as I sit here writing this, I am starting to feel the spot where my knee smacked the pavement and where my ankle twisted a little. Doesn't hurt that much though.

Only I could fall in a concrete parking lot and get hurt by a baby food jar.


Thursday, February 12, 2015

1% for 5 years

I know how it will go down
I know what I will say
I know how she will react
But I still must say it

I have to

“I’m praying for you.”

“As long as you don’t pray
For me to get better”

“Don’t worry. I’m not”

“What?”

“Instead, I’m praying that
I will stop
Being angry at you”

“Why would you be angry?”

“You chose. You chose this.

I’ve watched you slowly kill yourself
My whole life

My brother’s son won’t know you

He deserves to know you
And you, him.

My future child will not know you

That child deserves to know you
And you, the child.

As I long for an uncle I’ve never met,
Our children will long for you

I’m angry because you are making
Your mother lose another child

But most of all,
I’m praying that
You will remember the God of your youth”

“It’s the same god.”

“No, it isn’t.
Your god wants you to be love
And to transcend to a higher plane

My God IS love
And descended to our lowness
Because He loves me

And you

Remember Him. Please.

He remembers you.”

I know how it will go down
I know what I will say
I know how she will react
But I still must say it

Mustn't I?