Creative Writing
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The Ten Things on My Mind
My recent stroke has compelled me to reevaluate my life and goals. Here are the ten issues I am most focused on. 10. Keeping My Sanity Have you ever been hit by a torrent of water from a fire hose?… Continue reading
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Breaking Eggs
There are many ways to break an egg. You can break an egg by cracking it on a flat surface like a countertop or the edge of a bowl, tapping two eggs together, or using a specialized egg-cracking tool. Each… Continue reading
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The Last Days of Fear and Anxiety
This essay was originally published on October 11, 2024, one month before the election that returned Donald J. Trump to power. Thanks, America. “The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen. What makes it possible for… Continue reading
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DoomScrolling
My name is Antonio Ruiz, and I am a DoomScroller. There, I said it. “Doomscrolling (or doom scrolling) is the compulsive habit of continuously scrolling through social media or news feeds to consume negative, distressing, or alarming content.” Nuffield Health… Continue reading
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Those Illegals
We don’t care.There is no empathy left in us.No sympathy.No care in the universe.We know who they are.Where they came fromacross an oceanEnglandPortugalSpainFranceItalyGermanySo many lands We have enough pain in our worldwe cannotwill notassume the debt of their painWe refused… Continue reading
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Writing For My Life
The following was written in response to a college assignment to read “Write Like a Motherfucker.” I don’t remember whether I read this somewhere or someone told me: Writing is writing. Period. If you’re not vomiting words onto the page… Continue reading
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Wisdom Earned
I recently celebrated my two-year anniversary of graduating from college at the age of seventy-five, with two degrees: an A.A. in English and a B.A. in English Creative Writing. Summa Cum Laude, baby.And so I’ve been thinking a lot about… Continue reading
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Me, American
The scenes are as fresh in my mind as if they had happened today. The second-grade nun told my parents to speak to me only in English. This is America, and in America, we only speak English. Or Mrs. Travieso… Continue reading
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America, My Country Too
I was born in the United States of America and grew up here. The South Bronx, to be exact. From an early age, I was taught that this nation was the greatest in the world. No doubts about it.In Catholic… Continue reading
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Closed Eyes
I see nothing because I don’t want to see. It’s easier this way then I don’t need to think to ask questions to receive answers I don’t want to hear. I admit pain is sometimes too great too blinding what… Continue reading
