Category: creative writing
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The cruel visit of time
Time—entity, social construct—has its ways of deceiving us. It doesn’t announce itself, appearing subtly in the cracks of a sign, in the fading colors in the political ads in quiet corners of the city, and in the rusted layers of metal exposed in the side walls of old buildings when the neighboring buildings give way to…
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when the trees call
(or: sakamotocho daydream) june 18, 2025 i find myself lying down on a tatami mat in a park in central tokyo. a day in the office. it’s break time and i am contemplating life and touching grass. in my field of view, a tree. a beautiful one—though no idea what kind. i think about climbing…
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Liquor blanket
A cold Saturday night in February 2024 Dimmed lights. I face the window of my rectangular bedroom facing south. Ninth floor in a quiet residential area. All I can see is the wall of apartments with lights on. Of course, it’s evening time. Upbeat music plays in the speaker. Oranges, “‘cause every time I feel…
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Sentimental value of the anti-climax
First installment of “stuff that comes up when I talk with my friends” (provisional series title) “These are just letters to me. I’ve let myself become dependent on her.” She says this in an attempt, however vain, to get me to understand the intricacies of their relationship. One that I could not fathom yet. I…
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strawberries to the people
it’s early afternoon on a late autumn weekday. i am surrounded by my thoughts, a couple of books, and an empty mug where there was some mix of chai and coffee until some minutes ago. i look at the white ceiling, contemplating what to do next. i don’t have much to do. it’s a weekday…
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la douleur exquise
(Adapted from a 2011 unpublished original) It was a full moon night with occasional rain showers. We looked at each other. Staring eyes. She stopped reading her book. Me too. As if that one look meant the universe to both of us. In an instant, a lightning-like feeling hit me. Was it love at the…
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an exercise in writing – 2
It is a long day at work. The instructions were confusing and you have been told you think too much. You need to be more basic, not filter too much. You find yourself thinking way too much for a think that clearly doesn’t need that much of mental effort. You look tired. Bad night of…
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an exercise in writing – 1
Imagine yourself in ten years. You, facing the city at night, seeing everything from a window in the 40th floor of a building. Might be a restaurant, might as well be a lounge, too. Even your house. Might be Tokyo, Singapore, São Paulo, might be somewhere else. The privileged view of an avenue or an…
fernando ursine 