Hate crimes are on the rise, especially against Latinos
You grab new leggings, skirts & more
No Poem Is the Only Poem. No Story Is the Only Story. Celebrating Diversity Since 2015
Hate crimes are on the rise, especially against Latinos
You grab new leggings, skirts & more
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’][/author_image] [author_info]Stanley Kaplan has published poetry and flash in a number of journals including Onthebus, Convergence, Chiron and JuxtaProse. He paints as well a writes. He is the Recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant.[/author_info] [/author]
Winter 2000
Maria leaned over our first-grade lunch table, her brown bob swinging. She wanted my last Cheeto, which I considered my end-meal treat. It had extra-large bumps, on which clung an ample dusting of cheese powder. It glowed fluorescent orange in the plastic baggie, taunting me. I practiced discipline, spooning applesauce until it was gone, before I would let myself eat it. My mom set rigorous rules for meals, one being that we needed to finish each meal’s designated fruits or vegetables before we ate a treat.