I have a way with words- a writer, they call me.

One, who with a sort of casual ease yet caution is able to move another with calculated phrases. .

Am I moving you with words?

Are you loose now?

Are you absolutely quivering with expectation, awaiting the inevitable end to a story that drags on, bubbling with fear at the thought of the syntax being jagged and the plot sinking and the very foundation upon which the story lies falling apart?

Do these words mean something to you.

There is no question mark after this question. Grammatically incorrect but morally necessary, needed to execute the intensity with which this question is directed at you-yes you, the reader.

I am supposed to make you “feel”… but what is supposed to and what is feel? Is this the same supposed to that suggests that artists must be starving and suffering, and is this the same feel that translates to aching and pain?

Who is to say that these words are meant to cause the current to move inside of you, the tides to twist and turn at your core?

Have you noticed what I have done yet?

The way I’ve used words to describe words and the effect words have, and the way you perceive words.

Language is not so simple as to be viewed and acknowledged but not absorbed. It must be taken in and loved, learned and appreciated, for it is a unique kind of magic that human beings are able to share with each other.

Think about this as you speak to others, as you read the rest of this sentence, and as you write. You are releasing magic into the atmosphere.

*The opinions and ideas expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of The Bronx Brand*

Lu Perez is from the Eastchester section of the Bronx but currently resides in the Fordham area.  Being Latina and growing up in a predominantly Hispanic/Latinx community in the Bronx has been a great influence in the way she writes. Her appreciation for her Dominican heritage comes through in Lu’s work. From the slang, the open fire hydrants during the summer, the sticky streets and booming music have become pieces in the puzzle that forms Lu’s identity; these are the experiences that have had a profound effect on the way Lu perceives the rest of New York, and the world.