family

차마. Endure. Concede. That’s the word she would’ve used. I stab the piece of meat on my plate, watching the blood flow out as I do exactly what she wants. I stay quiet.

My mother never found her soulmate. Instead, she found my father via the newspaper. The section was called “Eligible Bachelors, With Bachelor Degrees.”

I’m sorry I can’t be there today.

The happiness and joy of the Christmas season simply cannot be topped, so why not make it start a little earlier than what’s traditional?

As I stand on the cusp of my third year, I reflect on my evolution from gang loyalty to academic pursuit. This isn’t just my redemption — it’s a testament to the unyielding power of transformation.

Their flawed care, / But perfect love

I’ve always had a complicated relationship with my hair.

As humans, our pasts don’t stay buried, they follow us into our lives, onto the bus or into lecture halls. We collect our ghosts, letting them trail behind us when we get into the shower — dogging our footsteps on crowded streets.

This upcoming Day of the Dead, I’m missing my family more than ever.

I think to be the eldest sibling is to take on this burden that is complicated, confusing and overwhelming, a burden that we would volunteer to endure again if it was somehow our choice. I would choose to be the one to care and love my brother in any universe.