Dreaming about folding endless piles of clean laundry while a thunderstorm destroys everything outside. Reading about how to read the same text more than once, peeling back layers of metaphor to create new meaning. Playing with scraps of paper and another’s sketchbook. Napping with one of three cats at any given time of the day. Knotting yardage and sewing it together for a greater purpose. Scratching at old scar tissue and medicating it with expensive products. Documenting the amount of water I am drinking every day.

I’ve learned how to read and speak at least 50 words in Arabic since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, both the Arabic script and English lettering. Lately, I find myself chanting the same word over and over to myself throughout the day.

کریم‎ /Kerim is Arabic for generous.