Dreaming with Places

When people think about their Favorite Place on Earth usually the first set of images that passes through their minds involves fantastical, exotic, far way places with robust, intriguing cultures that can evoke many different feelings in a person. However, if we introspect long enough we might discover that our favorite place tends not to be a remote slice of paradise, but an area that holds a deeper, more sentimental meaning to us. I have to admit that when I first thought about “my favorite place on earth or the one I longed for” I immediately started mentally creating a list of all the places I would love to visit; one of these places – siting at the top of the list – being my beloved Puerto Rico. From the second place onwards the list included all the countries I fancy globetrotting. Places like the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Rome, France, Russia, China, Japan, India, and Africa are all listed there in no particular order. There is something about their traditions and different cultures that have always fascinated me.

Regardless, the only places I have ever been to are, my home Puerto Rico and Florida, USA. Ironically, of the places I have visited – all few of them – the one that holds the title of My Favorite Place on Earth it is not Disney Land, or Miami, or Fort Lauderdale; it isn’t El Yunque, Culebras, or Gilligan’s Island. Oh no, my favorite place on Earth is a small patch of forest crisscrossed by a river right behind my childhood home. The river is called Cibuco and it crosses my whole town beginning at the Cuchilla neighborhood, picking up smaller streams going in a northbound journey until it joins the Atlantic Ocean at the North of the Vega Baja municipality.

I was 6 when my parents move out from our first home into what became my childhood house; giving me the opportunity to discover this other world. Since the moment I arrived, that river and all its surroundings became my favorite place ever. Regardless of the amount of houses in the area, the river feels like an oasis that is not quite from this planet. It can be seen from my old bedroom window with its many big slabs of rocks, its trees shadowing a knee deep water level that becomes extremely enticing around summer season.

Tears

This is a short poem i wrote after an argument. I originally posted it to my facebook account as a Note and this is what i wrote on that note:

WARNING: I have never claimed to be a poet, not once, and i'm sure not going to start now.

Since i'm feeling a little depressed, here is a little something i just came up with. It's simple and by all means below amateur. But i guess i just want to share it all the same.

Tears

Small and salty
Crystalline cold
Out of two little windows
They come unexpected
Rushing out of the heart
In an uncontrollable rhythm
Packing all our feelings,
They reveal our emotions 

All the while liberating us
From inner explosion.

-- Jan 20, 2010

I'm always open to criticism so lets hear your thoughts on the comments.

Hello There and Welcome!!

First off let me start with Hello, welcome and thank you for reading my blog. It is my first attempt at blogging and I’m a little apprehensive of the experience. So for the subject of my first post I will do my best to introduce myself and try to define my blog. I’m still not totally sure if it will be personal, or book reviews, or about my writings; probably a combination of all the above ^.^

So my name is Melisa and I’m from the beautiful Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Feel free to call me Mel, my parents call me Melisa and they usually do it when they want to be formal or are just angry, everyone else calls me Mel, Mely or another variation. I’m an avid reader; I have so far read 52 books this year alone (according to Goodreads, where I log them) and I’m not done yet. My favorite genres are fantasy, urban fantasy, PNR, dystopian, as well as Sci-Fi. Movies are another passion of mine, to the point that I’m my family’s breathing, walking database. Music is also an important part of my life, although cats can sing better than I can, I always have music on, even if is just for background noise.

After many years of reading stories, I have decided to start writing my own. I’ve had a bunch of characters in my mind for well over 5 years and I just haven’t given them their deserved attention. One of the reasons for me to start this blog is to have the means put the story out there. Another is to have a place to showcase my favorite reads. Thinking about it I guess this blog will end up being a medley of this and other related works. I have a few of unpublished works, a few poems and essays that I would like to share as things move along.

So this would be it for my introductory post. Hope you have enjoyed it and that you’ll come back for more.

Here is one of my works; I found a picture online once (can't remember where) and i tried to draw it, this is the my end result:

It was over a year ago, and it still need more shading and finishing touches but i don't think i'll do it, not yet anyways.

PS: My first language is Spanish with English being my second; chances are that I will make mistakes grammar wise. Another thing is that some of my writings might be in Spanish instead of English.