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We are all dots on a curve. I like to frame the world in terms of curves, normative plots, probability distributions, wave functions, sometimes bell shaped, sometimes skewed to the left or the right, sometimes packed around a pointy average, sometimes flattened and tapered like tea biscuits. Regardless, itβs a useful and elegant map of…
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Itβs 11:25am, Wednesday, June 29, in the year of our Lord, 2022. Iβm trapped in an elevator at my office building. I entered. The doors closed and, suddenly, an automated voice advised me through the speaker, βGet off at the next available stop, this elevator is out of service.β But then the damned chrome-plated bin…
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The door swings open and chimes-in a patron. The cafΓ© in Old Ottawa South is bustling with the clanking of drinkware, muddled chatter, the dry wheeze of an espresso machine, and the loud shameless slapping of keys by the young woman working at her laptop next to me. Itβs a busy space, though the rain…
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Loneliness feels like a child in overalls swimming through racks of clothes at the department store, stepping out into a clearing and coming to the sudden realization, βMommy?β You tumbled into pleasure and pursued it, fleeing the security of attachment. Shhhh, donβt yell for mom. You’re too embarrassed to advertise your infidelity, so you bite…
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Somethingβs amiss, but I canβt find whatβs missing.Trust me, Iβm trying and nothing is clicking.Waking, an overpriced meal thatβs disgusting.Getting dressed feels like pulling a sleeve thatβs resisting.Inhalations fill me anew, unintended.The face I reflect triggers hate, how I dread it.Every breath I exhale is one wasted. Iβm encased in a tomb of self-hate, canβt…
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Over my lunch break yesterday, I decided to take another walk through the convoy. This time, equipped with my DSLR. My interest was to capture the messages and ideologies underlying the occupation. What do they want? Why do they want it? How do they propose to get us there? In this post, Iβd like to…
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Dear Friend, I recall with fondness our childhood adventures. Protected by innocence we played, undaunted. I remember our battles. Oh how intensely we battled! Yet, the yearning for friendship was too great to be crushed by trivial things, so quickly weβd bounce back to affection. Our bond would be deepened. Damn this war. Can you…
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When faced with historical events, a writer carries a heavy responsibility: The duty to capture the spirit of the times, to distill the essence of their experience. So I went to Centretown this evening and now I want to describe how I feel about the Siege of Centretown, in the year of our Lord, 2022.…
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The photo above was taken by my brother. If you’re on Instagram, be sure to follow him @ husayn_eblaghi. He’s currently documenting his travels in Turkey. Today, I had the rare pleasure of collaborating with him, a poem for a picture. The bell, the crier, a kid was born, the ewe she lay there prone.I…
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A Working Draft by E. E. Talisman 