#fly-underground

Since the very beginning of this blog, people have been asking me about my number system. Why do all my titles have numbers? What do they mean? What am I counting towards?

In 2009, I didn't know anything about Tumblr. My friend Clare was the first person to tell me about it. At that time, I was working on my first manuscript, which I had tentatively titled FLY UNDERGROUND. I wanted to write a poem a day and I wanted a space where I could be accountable for that. Of course, I got a blog. Of course, I linked it to my Facebook account. And, because I needed a certain number of poems, because I grew up writing story chapters on the internet, because the numbers made sense – I started keeping track. After a while, it just stuck.

Today, there are 650 pieces of writing on my blog. I know this because the last poem I posted here is titled "six hundred and fifty: Facts." That's such a big number, because even if they aren't all good (trust me, they aren't all good), that's still so much work. That's still so much time.

If you know me at all, you know that I keep track of everything. I remember dates. I remember moments down to the exact outfit someone was wearing. But now, as I prepare for my biggest adventure yet, ending my first "real world" job, zooming through a brilliant summer at Camp Rising Sun, and then focusing 100% on my writing career for an entire year, I want to stop counting. I want to stop thinking about the tiny details that sometimes add up and sometimes don't.

I've changed my layout before, but never like this. If you look through my blog now, it hopefully seems a little more grown up. I'm going to be posting poems in different, uncalculated formats starting now. You'll see this strange number scheme used again, whenever I write about my New Year's Eve wrap-up, whenever I write something more personal, whenever I am counting. But I’m not counting art now. I’m done counting art now. 

i always use coconut oil after i shower, and i don't shampoo but i'm thinking maybe i need a conditioner and/or to do hair masks!! 

melon - my first impression: I ACTUALLY REMEMBER THIS VIVIDLY, we were in wamsteker’s english class freshman year and you were in the seat next to me thanks to alphabetical fate*~ and during our introductions, I think you talked about harry potter and fanfiction and maybe poetry too?? and in my heart I knew you were The One for me so I passed you a note if I remember correctly hahaha

oh wow, thank you so much! this means a lot to me, i’ve been trying to tackle some tougher subjects lately so this poem is just one of many of those and i’m so happy it is being well-recieved. 

Yena & I are moving forward with plans for a poetry reading in Central Park. The date we've decided on is June 22nd. It's a Sunday. I hope some of you can make it. More information coming soon!

so, as some of you may know, I'm in New York City for the next 6 weeks. I'm playing around with the idea of setting up a poetry reading/hangout in Central Park sometime in mid-June.

oh yeah, and there's going to be a special guest appearance by fly-underground aka Yena Sharma Purmasir, the author of Until I Learned What It meant published through Where Are You press.

guys, this could be a really beautiful evening of reading poetry and talking with friends. please, please, please let me know if you're interested. if there's enough interest, we'll definitely do it.

thank you as always for the support

xo