Author: aya

n the city where i was born, it is believed that bad moods are a kind of pollution. they say that dank, shadowy places are breeding grounds for ill will, like still pools of water that encourage mosquitos to lay their eggs. arguments are said to leave traces of soot long after the hurt has… Continue reading bad moods can stain, part I

packed cafe. she had to step around tables piled hight with used plates to arrive at the couch where her two friends sat as far apart from one another as possible. kicking off her shoes, she squeezed between them. she was late and they didn’t know one another. after a three-second introduction they seemed confident… Continue reading dreams come true

a little hole formed in the curtain that separates fresh yogurt from spoiled curds. the expiration date began to leak through. on monday, i noticed all the tubs and cups of yogurt in the grocery store were only seven days away from going bad. i splurged on a thick greek yogurt and ate it right… Continue reading no granola

the book i’m reading mentions sleep. i fantasize about square feather pillows, European dimensions. some would be cool and soft, others firm and warm from my breath. one i would wrap my arms around. it doesn’t matter what color the pillowcase is, because i’ll have my eyes closed. the pillows will absorb the weight. my… Continue reading the fog.

PRAYER FOR MY SISTER NOT TO HATE ME NO MORE glory be to something we had before. when i turned seven you woke up early when i did to open the presents, and read the firstchapter of Bambi to me. it is still my favorite book. when i turned twenty-eight i checked my phone every… Continue reading i keep praying

PRAYER FOR IMAGINARY BEINGS protect the people who don’t exist, who are made of nothing but words or childhood beliefs—keep them from invisible harm and threats not present, comfort them if the love they receive isn’t real…. PRAYER FOR THE BODY dear body,it’s time to smooth some anti-bacterial cream over your troubled relationship with my… Continue reading i pray some more

for the third week in a row, i missed the last train of thought. no use waiting in the station, the next train would come by hours from now. long, empty hours. fluorescent lighting sucking the life out of my eyes, wooden benches with stiff backs only a book could sit on with any degree… Continue reading after dark

I thought I smelled bad after. Walking in, the sun so I sprayed the bathroom perfume. On my t-shirt normally I would. Never have bathroom perfume much, less rose-scented bathroom. Perfume. But my mother-in-law was. At L’Occitane, and bought it. For us I never wear perfume. Making it, all the more odd: that I should… Continue reading the sentence.

I have climbed those stairs so many times my calves have grown large and strong.I am climbing the stairs, feeling the strain on my calf muscles.I have been climbing these stairs for days, feeling my stockings stretch tight across my calves as they swell with new muscle. She gets drunk every Thursday.She gets drunk.She gets… Continue reading I wrote something here before, but it got deleted, or the ink turned white, like ancient hair.