I saw a cat
I saw a cat
It came right up and sniffed me.

Then it hissed
Then it hissed
It swiped its paw, but missed me.

Watch it go!
There it goes!
Why’s that cat so angry?

Is that another kitty there?
It’s got a little family!

Did you ever have a Bubby?
You’d know it if you did.
She’s the one already up
Smiling as you walk in.

She’s in the kitchen
Making tea:
She uses the same bag.
She puts the yogurt In the fridge
Swearing it’s not bad.

Your bubby is the one
Who’s lived a hundred lives;
Who’s seen the world
Get very mean
But also get real nice.

Your Bubby though is dangerous
Her specialty is squeezing;
And if your cheeks are plump enough
She’ll tear them off your face.

Your bubby won’t be running
Your bubby wont be loud
Your bubby maybe right beside you
Not making a sound.

One day if you’re very lucky
You’ll become a bubby, too;
Then everyone will love you
They’ll all do things for you;

They’ll make your bed
Cook your food
Put you in a home,
Keep  you far away from them and make you feel alone;

Bubbies are not for everyone
So be one with some caution.
Our hearts needs be the size of earth
Cause everybody wants one.

When I get old
There will be
A list for you to do;
One will be to water grass
Another to tie my shoe.

When I get old
I hope you’re young
Cause there’ll be lots to accomplish;
Like drive me to the
Movies
Bingo
Making me a sandwich.

When I get old
I’ll lose my teeth
Maybe my smell, too;
I’ll lose my sight,
I’ll lose my purse;
I’ll lose my worth,
I’ll lose my house,
I’ll lose my ears,
My nose,
My head,
I wont have any
Any friends;
I’ll cry myself to bed at night,
I’ll cry until I’m dead.

When I am dead
Perhaps one day
You’ll make your own list, too.

Dash dip
Round the bend
Wind flies
Around my head;

Children wave
Adults too
Whoops wrong way
I’m in the zoo!

Is that a tiger burning bright?
Is that a eagle taking flight?
Is that a donkey braying loud?
Is that a monkey prancing around?

Dash Dip
Round the bend
Wind Flies
Around my head;

I go up
I go down.
I ride my scooter
Around the town.

If you took time
To count the rocks
You’d have a million trillion.
Turn them, turn them
Upside down;
We’d watch them fall
Across the mall;
Our streets would be a rocky patch
Where we would walk—not drive.

Our schools would be a mess you see
From all the dust and stone.
And no dog no dog
Anywhere
Could ever find their bone.

The rocks would start another school
Where they would learn to stay;

They’d study hard
Get a job

They all would get an A.

When it’s almost day
There are so many things
I have to say;
There was no peep from me at night
But I had dreamed another life.

You didn’t go to work
You went to a shower;
Hour by hour
You added some lather;
The lather got big
Out the window you went
Driving to work in not a bike but a tent.

The tent went fast
Swooshed to a stop;
All you could see was
A thousand rocks;
You never did hurry
The work was refreshing
Your family happy.

A big machine
Across the street
Makes a sound like crushing feet;
And when I look
Out my window
I see my neighbors scream.

HELP! HELP!

We have no legs!
That truck ran us over!
Now we’re all dead!

That’s why you never cross the street
Don’t ever ever cross the street
Don’t even think about crossing the street
Without a parent near you.

What is it, sweety?

I saw a deer.

You saw a deer?

Yeah.

Yesterday?

In my room.

There was a deer in your room?

I saw a deer in my room right there.

What did the deer do?

It went down the stairs.

Did it use the railing?

No, it didn’t have hands.

The deer didn’t have hands?

No.

Were you scared?

No.

Did the deer say anything?

No, it left the room with it’s friends.

What friends?

There were two other people.

Where?

Over here.

There were two other people in your room?

Yes.

Did they talk to you?

No. They left my room and went down the stairs.

Did they hold the railing?

No, because they didn’t have hands.

The two people didn’t have hands?

No, and they couldn’t hold the railing.

Were you scared?

No.

Did the two people have black hair?

…

Blonde hair?

…

Were they men or women?

…

Did they look like me or like mommy?

They looked like you.

(And hair stands on end.)

I wake up to cabs screeching on the road.
Words that should not be spoken by very angry drivers.
Bright and early.
Good morning, New York City.
I walk with my dad to a bakery. L'imprimerie.
I get a shot of espresso. 
Enough to jack me up on caffeine and make up for my loss of sleeping in.
We leave, and walk around for a bit. 
We talk so much that I hardly notice my agonizing feet.
We eat pizza, pretzels, and lamb.
Credit to the food stand on North 3th street.
Then, Dad and I head down to the subway and hop on.
We arrive at Central Park and wait for my mom.
She arrives at around 1:00.
I say my greeting to my brother, and we play in the park.
Meet some other kids my age. Play a little bit of baseball,
The usual.
After Mateo and I are not able to move or breathe, Mom calls a taxi.
We go into Brooklyn and go shopping.
Mateo and I beg for something that is useless and that we will forget in a day.
But she still says yes, and we have joy for a few minutes.
Until one of us starts a fight.
Couple bruises, couple sore spots.
Also the usual.
We get home, and start the treacherous journey up the 13 stair cases.
Oh goody.
We get to our apartment, and eat some dinner.
Afterwards, we watch a movie (sometimes we eat dinner while watching the movie).
We say goodnight, and I head to bed.
Another beautiful day.
I fall asleep to the honks and yells.
Goodnight New York.

—Rafael Zafir (age 13).

Only surround yourself with things you find beautiful. With things that bring you joy. If you are in your home and see something that does not give you joy… throw it out. get rid of it, donate it, offer it to a friend, but hurl it the fuck out of your window into the streets in a garbage or recycling can. It does not belong with you. It is not on your journey.

Look at this desk. I built this desk. I did not build the desk but I gathered the materials and told someone else exactly how I wanted it. Yes those shelves were already put together I only ordered them. Yes, my wife picked the color. I chose the wood on top. It WAS from Ikea. I think they’re normally used for a kitchen table. But I decided where it would go and I decided that it would be in this house. Now we are leaving this house and I am sorry that I am taking this thing with me. I love this thing. I love this furniture. I love this piece. It gives me great joy. I have worked very early in themonring and very late at night on this desk. I have provided food for my family on this desk. My wife provides food and clothes for our family from this desk.

Hey desk, maybe no one will mourn for you when. you die, and maybe you will never die, but one day soon you will have a different owner and for that it will be a death to me. I love you so much. I love everything you’ve given me. You have always been there. You have never faltered. I hope I brought you joy. I hope I deserved your beauty, elegance, and grit. I will always remember you. You were there when I rehearsed my lines, wrote my plays, poems, emails, and talked about changing the world while my fingers smashed down on a tired old keyboard. That word means nothing to you. Maybe all these words mean nothing to you. But you mean something to me. And I will forever be grateful.

I love you, and I know you will bring someone else joy. That is the meaning of you life, I think.

I was selected as EVERYBODY tonight, and I hadn’t played it in a week.
A lot has changed since that week.
We have been rehearsing the play right up to, and on opening night.
We have made changes in staging, choices in acting, changes in blocking.
Pretty much the gambit of what it takes to make a great night of theatre.
And it’s all par for the course, and you can whittle away at a piece of wood till it no longer exists, or a painting you can add dimensions to, and when do you stop? Do you stop?
I played EVERYBODY last night and it was such a great feeling.
I must remember that when
Continue reading Everybody: Performance #2 →

Everybody is quite strange play.
Normally when I’m in a play, I always think that the offstage antics (induced by the play the company is performing) could very well be the impetus for another play. But ESPECIALLY for this one.

Five actors memorize five roles. And those roles are chosen by the actors through a live lottery onstage. No one knows who they will play, any night, ever.
This is an incredibly challenging feat for actors.
Most audience members Continue reading Everybody opened last night →