The Main Event, by stacy-marie ishmael

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August 14, 2022

divisions grow stronger. / That’s what “chosen” and “unchosen” will do.

Tried roller skating this weekend. Made it roughly (barely) halfway out of the locker room before practically (actually) falling over. So then I took the skates off and spent the rest of the evening vibing to the DJs and people watching (cringing in sympathy whenever someone else fell over).

I used to rollerblade (give or take twenty+ years) and I recall, from the mists of time, having enjoyed it. There is always something liberating about being on wheels. There’s also something liberating about being bad at things (though, ideally, not in a way that includes the potential for injury).

Routines, even when they feel claustrophobic, can also feel safe. I am trying to choose (without breaking a wrist) a path slightly less travelled.

Attribution:

divisions grow stronger.

That’s what “chosen” and “unchosen” will do.

(Just keep your eyes on your houses and gardens.

Keep your eyes on that tree in bloom.)

Yes, a wall. Ours came later but. . .

who talks about how sad the land looks,

marked by a massive wall?

That’s not a normal shadow.

It’s something else looming over your lives.

— from A Palestinian Might Say by Naomi Shihab Nye

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