To turn the stone over in the palm of my hand, scrutinize it more closely, a real stone, a diamond in the rough?

It was still morning, and we felt ourselves heading into the sea as we sped along this last, ever-narrowing strip of Sicily.

Chapter FiveWe were working on “recording” the following scenes from my novel: the Sunday lunch in the garden at Manuel’s house, where the two families part amicably, mothers and aunts…

They warned her that one more offense against good behavior and the promised trip to the promised land (the United States) would be cancelled . . .

What would you say, Boss, he asked, if I offered you a job that would keep the heat off your back?

What fate does the future hold for me? Jason asked, intrigued.

The following afternoon, I assist in the nerve-wracking removal of the bandages.

What would I do, Beatriz, if something happens to you? How would your father feel if something happens to you? Don't you think about that?

Why is it dangerous to say madre in Mexico? I later ask Odette, a young university student.

The cat took off. Right before it started. I was running after it when I lost my balance - thought I was getting anemic or something.

This poem by Iman Mersal juxtaposes a child's hopefulness with an adult's nostalgia.

We ate worms, the most expensive dish at the restaurant.

A great fear and alarm took hold of her when she heard the high priest's words.

As the largest Arabic-speaking country (at 70+ million inhabitants and counting), Egypt, with its teeming capital of Cairo, plays a disproportionately large role in the intellectual and cultural life…

She had gestured with her free hand while the other had gripped his hand and the card.

I have no patience to contemplate the sea

What a pity you don't feel / How the trees bow to kiss you

They will kidnap you, daddy's girl.

Forget the admirer, Saniya. This guy will not take care of you.

When Abu Gamal revealed Shaykh Hasan's secret to the residents of Number 36 . . .

My perfect friend, / why don't you leave now.

One day I will pass by/ the house that used to be my home.

as a silent way of killing- / but flashing glances / from eyes I barely glimpse

the cutting blade's coldness / gives me my body

One day wisdom will possess me / and I will not go to the party.

Of course,the concrete pillars are not lacking in delicacy,and the columns of old houses are a nostalgia all their own.He added that he marks the weak pointand distributes its weight among the relatively…

I will make sure they are really there / in perfect happiness, / and that I am alone

The entire city began to wash itself ceaselessly . . .

Flying into the field of cloudsWith the taste of sun and waterThere is no night out thereNight does not fall in the distanceA silver cage around my neckLike an unfaithful concubineI lay down and curled…

We had to walk. This necessity made me happy. I hadn't been this happy for a long while, I thought.