Loosely true story dressed as a fable:

The grandfather sat in his armchair, looking out the window. Sometimes, when the fog was just right, his mind would wander back to those worn brick streets. The hiding, the danger, the resistance to complete insanity. The resistance to the Nazis. His grandson, walking in and plopping himself in the armchair opposite, brought him back to the present.

"Gramps, I am confused about something."

"Tell me what's going on."

"You know I'm active with a lot of activist and equal rights groups, right?" Gramps nodded.

"I invited my friend from my poli sci class to the Women's March and he said no. He told me that he's in complete support of this president and he's not going to march against him."

Gramps looked down at the floor and asked, "How do you feel about that?"

His grandson looked down at the same spot on the floor, "I'm confused. In many ways, he is really great to hang with. I just don't know if I can be around him, now that I know he's okay with someone who has shown he's racist."

Gramps looked across at his grandson's face. He was about the same age as his grandson is now when he entered the resistance.

"This president has not spoken out against several of these hate groups. These groups do not like Jews. They also don't like any Brown, Black or Native people. I don't care what your gay friend does in his bedroom but they don't like the gay people, either. I fought in the resistance. I, in your situation, would not think it's good to have such a friend."

His grandson met his grandfather's gaze. "Integrity is always a choice, isn't it, Gramps."

Gramps smiled.

Separation from nature through belief, expressed in lifestyle

has produced our current state.

How's that working for us?

E. Rodriguez y Nogueras

She flipped through the channels, dissatisfied with everything she watched in the three seconds she took to assess the screen. It was sticky hot and it was 10 p.m. She had two fans going and her bedroom window was open about five inches. It was all it could go. She had hammered nails into all the window sashes to ensure that they could only be opened so far by an intruder. Even so, it still made her uneasy, sometimes, to have the window open.

She heard the rustle outside again. Odd, since there was absolutely no wind and hadn’t been any for the last two days. Maybe it was a neighbor’s pet going through the bushes. Again, odd, she thought, as it was 10 p.m. and she knew her neighbors to have their animals in well before then. It was a coyote neighborhood. Pets weren’t safe outside any time and especially at night.

She ignored the rustle and continued flipping through the channels.

“For God’s Sake! Just watch anything!!”

Her breath caught for a second then she let out a scream heard across two streets. Lights went on.

“Oh jeez! Now ya done it!”

She screamed again.

“OH MY GOD! SHUT THE FUCK UP! ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS WATCH TV!”

With this, her mind jumbled. Seriously, what the fuck?

“SERIOUSLY!!!! WHAT THE FUCK???” she yelled. 

“Dude! I’m homeless! I just wanted to pretend I have a TV for a little while. I was just hanging out, leaning on this bush. Why did you have to fuck it up? Shit! The cops are gonna come! Half the neighborhood is awake, now!”

“I’m sorry!” It flitted through her thoughts how ridiculous it was she was apologizing to him, when he was the TV peeping tom.

A minute of quiet and then, “Naw. I’m sorry. I scared the crap out of you. I sort of forgot myself.”

“It’s okay.” Again, the ridiculousness of comforting the offender made her thinking feel a bit wonky.

The phone rang and it was her neighbor. She assured them she was okay and had been startled by a movie. She apologized several times for scaring them. Their lights went off and, soon, the lights at a couple of other houses did, too.

“I suppose it’s okay if you stay, BUT, I’m not watching just anything. You shut up or move on.”

Another minute of quiet and then, “Deal! Thanks!” She ignored the slurp of liquid that followed.

©2017 E. Rodriguez y Nogueras

Strength is forged by the fires of struggle.

E. Rodriguez y Nogueras

This is what it looks like to me:

I, being of brown skin with the ability to speak a second language, am not welcome in what has been, for at least part of my heritage, the only home I've known (Indigenous).

I, being of brown skin with the ability to speak a second language, am not welcome in what has been, for at least part of my heritage, the home I've known since 1500. Yuppers, England and the rest of Europe were scrambling to get to the 'new world' while the Spaniards were already invading.