LOUD VOICES

Memoir

  • Summa Cum Laude

    My second anniversary of graduating Summa Cum Laude from California State University, Long Beach, at age 75, is May 21, 2026. A celebration marking eight years from 2016 to 2024. After the long journey Arriving homethe feeling of ending and… Continue reading

    Summa Cum Laude

  • daydreaming of home

    i remember little a fogged memory south bronx coming from rican dominican roots. the patterson projects john adam housesa child into a teenager dates days places people their names have faded away like the clouds i would stare at through… Continue reading

    daydreaming of home

  • i want to dance

    i want to dance through today tomorrow forever stepping through music doors across moving floors upside down right side up spinning like a wild windthat you will never catch. i want to dancemove effortlessly as if floating standing still but… Continue reading

    i want to dance

  • Reckless

    There is no doubt I was a wild man (n.), although I never called myself/ A Bull in a China Closet/ the closest my friends/ at least the ones who used that word/ described me to my face. Others used… Continue reading

    Reckless

  • Momma Julia

    The following is a fictional narrative inspired by a writing prompt in my Playwriting class at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). We were asked to view several photos, choose one, and write a character description and narrative based on… Continue reading

    Momma Julia

  • Spanish

    I love the sound of Spanish in all its forms. As spoken by a resident of Madrid, Mexico City, San Juan, Puerto Rico, the South Bronx, or East Los Angeles. According to Ehlion Language Consultancy, “Spanish is the official language… Continue reading

    Spanish

  • Awake

    I recently posted this on Facebook about the toxic term “Woke.” According to WordHippo.com, as an adjective (dialect, African American Vernacular, or slang), the word means “conscious and not asleep.” In the US and Canada, it is slang that means… Continue reading

  • I, American

    I pledge allegiance to the flag (Whose flag is it anyway?)as I standin the Catholic school classroom alongside a gallery of white faces, red hair, blond hair, white shirts, white blouses, plaid skirts, and black pants and the nuns, covered… Continue reading

    I, American

  • The Narrative

    The following essay appeared first on LinkedIn. We can quickly become prisoners of a narrative created by past misdeeds, mistakes, errors in judgment, and actions we would love to erase from our memory. It doesn’t matter whether it happened long… Continue reading

    The Narrative

  • All the Stuff in my Brain

    AgingThe Iran WarThe peacefulness of an empty beachWhat the hell is going on in the Middle EastThe roses blooming in our backyardMy recent stroke and all the rehab and medical appointments I must attendThe number of people, including my wife,… Continue reading

    All the Stuff in my Brain