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was when the
lights were
out

the whole city
in darkness

& we drove north
to our friend's
yellow apt.
where she had
power & we
could work

later we stayed
in the darkened
apt. you sick
in bed & me
writing ambitiously
by candle light
in thin blue
books

your neighbor had
a generator &
after a while
we had a little
bit of light

we sat on a stoop
one day in the
late afternoon
we had very little
money. enough for
a strong cappuccino
which we shared
sitting there &
suddenly the
city was lit.

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was when thelights wereoutthe whole cityin darkness& we drove northto our friend'syellow apt.where she hadpower & wecould worklater we stayedin the darkenedapt. you sickin bed & mewriting ambitiouslyby candle lightin thin bluebooksyour neighbor hada generator &after a whilewe had a littlebit of lightI walked thedog & youwere stilla little bitsick

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So old we pad through the supermarket
using the shopping cart as a cane that steadies us.

I'll wait at register two in my green sweater
with threadbare elbows, smiling
because you've forgotten the bag of day-old pastries.

The cashier will tell me a joke about barbers as I wait. but the only word I understand is
He repeats the first line three times
barber.

Over the years we've caught inklings
of our shrinking frames and hunched spines.

You're a little confused
looking for me at the wrong register with a bag
of almost-stale croissants clenched in your hand.

The first time I held your hand it felt enormous in my own.
Sasquatch, I teased you, a million years ago.

Over here, I yell, but not in a mad way.

We're laughing. You have a bright yellow pin on your coat that says,
Shalom!

Senior Discount, you say.
But the cashier already knows us.
We're everyone's favorite customers.

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So old we pad through the supermarket using the shopping cart as a cane that steadies us. I'll wait at register two in my green sweater with threadbare elbows, smiling because you've forgotten the bag of day-old pastries. The cashier will tell me a joke about barbers as I wait.

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YNW Melly - Freddy Krueger (ft. Tee Grizzley) [Official Video]

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the highlight of my life, the best feeling, the best peak
on my feeling graph, in the way that the Chrysler building
might not be the tallest building in the NY sky but is
the best, the most exquisitely spired, or the way that
Hank Aaron's career home-run total is not the highest
but the best, the one that signifies the purest greatness.
So improbable! To have met you at all and then
to have been told in your soft young voice so soon
after meeting you: "I love you." And I felt the mystery

loved, and what I was, instantly, was someone
who could be told "I love you" by someone like you.
I was, in that moment, new; you were 19; I was 22;
you were impulsive; I was there in front of you, with a future
you, of being a you and being that hadn't yet been burned for fuel; I had energy;
you had beauty; and your eyes were a pale blue,
and they backed what you said with all they hadn't seen,
and they were the least ambitious eyes I'd known,
the least calculating, and when you spoke and when
they shone, perhaps you saw the feeling you caused.
Perhaps you saw too that the feeling would stay.

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the highlight of my life, the best feeling, the best peak on my feeling graph, in the way that the Chrysler building might not be the tallest building in the NY sky but is the best, the most exquisitely spired, or the way that Hank Aaron's career home-run total is not the highest but the best, the one that signifies the purest greatness.

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Taking a photo of you taking a photo of me, I see
the black snout of the camera framed by hair, where

your face should be. I see your arms and one hand
on the shutter button, the hedge behind you and

beyond, below, overexposed water and sky wiped white.
Some flecks out of focus are supposed to be boats.

Your back toward what light is left, you're not
recognizable except by those cutoff jeans that I

gave you by shooting from above, forgetting your
legs. So, if I didn't know, I wouldn't know who

you are, you know. I do know who, but you, you know,
could be anybody. My mistake. It was because I

wanted to trip the shutter at the exact moment you
did. I did when you did, and you did when I did.

I can't wait to see yours of me. It's got to be
even more awful. A face, facing the light, pulled up

into a squint behind the lens, which must reflect
the muggy setting sun. Some sort of fright mask

or Mardi Gras monster, a big glass Cyclopean eye
superimposed on a flattened nose, that print,

the one you took of me as I took one of you. Who,
or what, will it be-will I be, I wonder? Can't wait.

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Taking a photo of you taking a photo of me, I seethe black snout of the camera framed by hair, where your face should be. I see your arms and one handon the shutter button, the hedge behind you and beyond, below, overexposed water and sky wiped white.Some flecks out of focus are supposed to be boats.

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I never noticed before
How the red flowers hang from the blue branches
I never noticed before the light in this room
I never noticed the way the air is cool again
I never noticed anything but you
But you but you
So that I couldn't sleep
I never noticed what was anything but you
Until I noticed you
And could not help it
Until I noticed you I could not help it
Until you made the red flowers alive again
Until the blue branches
The lemons you loved, but also the way you loved me, too
Until all of this I never noticed you
But once I did
I never minded noticing
I never stopped noticing
Until I noticed you
I never stopped noticing
Until you, I never stopped

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I never noticed beforeHow the red flowers hang from the blue branchesI never noticed before the light in this roomI never noticed the way the air is cool againI never noticed anything but youBut you but youSo that I couldn't sleepI never noticed what was anything but youUntil I noticed youAnd could not help itUntil I noticed you I could not help itUntil you made the red flowers alive againUntil the blue branchesThe lemons you loved, but also the way you loved me, too

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I love you because the Earth turns round the sun

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Ski Mask The Slump God - Dr Suess (Official Audio)

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as if bombs are bursting in the backyard,
where mint and jasmine lace their perfumes
through the kitchen window,
as if somewhere, a body is falling apart
and flames are making their way back
through the intricacies of a young boy's thigh,
as if to walk out the door, your torso
would dance from exit wounds.
When my grandmother kisses, there would be
no flashy smooching, no western music
of pursed lips, she kisses as if to breathe
you inside her, nose pressed to cheek
so that your scent is relearned
and your sweat pearls into drops of gold
inside her lungs, as if while she holds you
death also, is clutching your wrist.
My grandmother kisses as if history
never ended, as if somewhere
a body is still
falling apart.

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as if bombs are bursting in the backyard, where mint and jasmine lace their perfumes through the kitchen window, as if somewhere, a body is falling apart and flames are making their way back through the intricacies of a young boy's thigh, as if to walk out the door, your torso would dance from exit wounds.

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This song it’s good

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Her blue dress is a silk train is a river
is water seeps into the cobblestone streets of my sleep, is still raining
is monsoon brocade, is winter stars stitched into puddles
is good-bye in a flooded, antique room, is good-bye in a room of crystal bowls
and crystal cups, is the ring-ting-ring of water dripping from the mouths
of crystal bowls and crystal cups, is the Mississippi River is a hallway, is leaks
like tears from windowsills of a drowned house, is windows open to waterfalls
is a bed is a small boat is a ship, is a current come to carry me in its arms
through the streets, is me floating in her dress through the streets
is only the moon sees me floating through the streets, is me in a blue dress
out to sea, is my mother is a moon out to sea.

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Her blue dress is a silk train is a riveris water seeps into the cobblestone streets of my sleep, is still raining is monsoon brocade, is winter stars stitched into puddlesis good-bye in a flooded, antique room, is good-bye in a room of crystal bowls and crystal cups, is the

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During the last 50 miles back from haul & some
months past my 15th birthday, my father fishes
a stuffed polar bear from a Salvation Army
gift-bin, labeled Boys: 6-10. I can almost see him
approach the decision: cold, a little hungry, not enough

money in his pocket for coffee. He worries
he might fall asleep behind the wheel as his giant,
clumsy love for that small word- son-guides
his gaze to the crudely-sewn fabric of the miniature bear
down at the bottom of the barrel. Seasons have flared

& gone out with little change in his fear of stopping
for too long in any city, where he knows the addict
in him waits, patient as a desert bloom. Meanwhile, me:
his eldest child, the uneasy guardian of the house.
In his absence, I've not yet lost my virginity,

but I've had fist-fights with grown men & seen
my mother dragging her religious beliefs to the bitter
border of divorce. For years my father's had trouble
saying no to crack-cocaine & women flowered in cheap
summer dresses. Watch his face as he arrives at last

& stretches the toy out, my mother fixed
on the porch behind me, the word son suddenly heavy
in my father's mouth, his gray coat gathered
around his shoulders: he's never looked so small.
We could crush him-we hug him instead.

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During the last 50 miles back from haul & somemonths past my 15th birthday, my father fishesa stuffed polar bear from a Salvation Armygift-bin, labeled Boys: 6-10. I can almost see himapproach the decision: cold, a little hungry, not enough money in his pocket for coffee.

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I’ve spent a whole afternoon looking at photographs.

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in English, my language of silent vowel endings
never translated into your language of silent h's.

Lo que he escrito para ti, siempre lo he escrito
en inglés, en mi lengua llena de vocales mudas
I've transcribed all your old letters into poems nunca traducidas a tu idioma de haches mudas.
that reconcile your exile from Cuba, but always

you left behind, stretched them into sentences
punctuated with palms, but only in English. guajiro roads

He transcrito todas tus cartas viejas en poemas
que reconcilian tu exilio de Cuba, pero siempre
en inglés. Te he devuelto los caminos guajiros
forced your green mountains up again, grown que dejastes atrás, transformados en oraciones
valleys of sugarcane, stars for you in English. puntuadas por palmas, pero solamente en inglés.
pueblecito you had to forget,

In English I have told you how I love you cutting
He reconstruido el pueblecito que tuvistes que olvidar,
on the counter to cool, or hanging up the laundry he levantado de nuevo tus montañas verdes, cultivado
at night under our suburban moon. In English, la caña, las estrellas de tus valles, para ti, en inglés.

ajo, setting cups of dulce de leche

I have imagined you surviving by transforming
yards of taffeta into dresses you never wear, En inglés te he dicho cómo te amo cuando cortas
gladiolas, machacas ajo, enfrías tacitas de dulce de leche
and leaving the porch light on, all night long. encima del mostrador, o cuando tiendes la ropa
de noche bajo nuestra luna en suburbia. En inglés

Papá's photo hinged in your mirror,

He imaginado como sobrevives transformando
yardas de tafetán en vestidos que nunca estrenas, I have captured you in English at the kitchen table
la foto de papá que guardas en el espejo de tu cómoda,
la luz del portal que dejas encendida, toda la noche. and your life to adjust to your life. In English
Te he captado en inglés en la mesa de la cocina you've learned to adore your losses the way I do. esperando que cuele el café, que hierva la leche y que tu vida acostumbre a tu vida. En inglés has aprendido a adorer tus pérdidas igual que yo. café to brew, the milk to froth,

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in English, my language of silent vowel endings never translated into your language of silent h's. Lo que he escrito para ti, siempre lo he escrito en inglés, en mi lengua llena de vocales mudas I've transcribed all your old letters into poems nunca traducidas a tu idioma de haches mudas.

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Rod Wave - Street Runner (Official Video)

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The Voyager Space Station will be the first space hotel (Credit: orbitalassembly.com)

Thanks to the hard work of companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, space tourism is well on its way to becoming a reality. Now, California-based Orbital Assembly Corporation (OAC) envisions a chance for galactic visitors to extend their "out-of-the-world" experience by checking into a luxurious hotel in low Earth orbit.

The 650-foot-wide (198 meter) Ferris-wheel-like Voyager Space Station (VSS) will comprise two rings connected by spokes. The inner circle will be fitted with spacecraft docking stations for guests. The outer ring will house the rooms, restaurants, bars, gyms, and scientific research labs. The solar-powered hotel will spin at speeds high enough to create artificial gravity, ensuring occupants a comfortable stay. When completed, it will have room for up to 400 people. OAC hopes to attract not just tourists but also scientists, astronauts on long-distance missions, and even some semi-permanent residents.

The VSS will offer guests a luxurious space experience (Credit: orbitalassembly.com)

While the idea is intriguing, making VSS a reality will take time. The team is currently building modules for a smaller prototype ring. The modules will be assembled in zero-gravity using semi-automatic robotic tools made for the purpose. Once completed, OAC engineers will attempt to create artificial gravity similar to what Mars has - about 40 percent that of Earth.

Even if the prototype is wildly successful, transporting the VSS modules to space will cost tens of billions of dollars. However, OAC, which expects to charge $5 million per person for each 3-day stay, is confident they will recoup the expense. Though the cost may seem excessive, it is cheap compared to the $55 million it costs to stay on the ISS. Besides, guests at the Voyager Station will be living in the utmost luxury.

"You're going to have the top chefs making really, really good food," Orbital CEO John Blincow told the Washington Post. "And when you pay $5 million to go someplace, it's not going to be burgers and fries ... We want to have Sting come up and play, and Beyoncé. There'll be two shows every night. ... That's part of the entertainment package."

The VSS will offer guests fun recreational activities (Credit: orbitalassembly.com)

Visitors will also be able to participate in recreational activities that are not possible on Earth. Among the proposed ideas are zero gravity basketball games. Blincow says, "When you jump in the air [in space], you jump five times higher." Also under consideration are spacewalks to allow visitors to enjoy clear views of Earth and space. If everything goes according to plan, the company plans to start construction in 2026 and welcome the first visitors to the VSS in 2027. Meanwhile, those eager to be among the first can save their spots for a small fee.

Resources: Space.com, Newatlas.com, orbitalassembly.com

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The World's First Space Hotel Hopes To Welcome Visitors in 2027

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Thanks to the hard work of companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, space tourism is well on its way to becoming a reality. Now, California-based Orbital Assembly Corporation (OAC) envisions a chance for galactic visitors to extend their "out-of-the-world" experience by checking into a luxurious hotel in low Earth orbit.

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Amanda Gorman's Inaugural Poem 'The Hill We Climb'