Mom's Cooking Cabbage and Collard Greens

Today begins the six months of Silence. I feel prepared, strengthened by a tough summer and a Love who plays the banjo. I'm re-reading 100 Years of Soledad as a means to walk into the six months of Silence with a capable six gun by my side. My metro card is sleek, and it does the trick, most of the time. I have good friends who will huddle with me around whatever fire burns in the barrel, and for them I am grateful. My family is supportive, and they invite me home for luxurious Christmas feasts in Hollis, Queens. Yes, I am ready for the six months of Silence, and all that it will readily offer my fear of the known. -Brooklyn, 2007.