Jar of Glass: Words Collected by Tamara Lopez

Philadelphia came as a welcome breeze after the hot, stifling activity of New York City. Philadelphia, known as the City of Brotherly Love, is rooted in the Greek word phileo . This city’s namesake is what everyone wants, true friendship without the expectation of anything else, just being oneself. It is stronger than eros , the love of lustful lovers that is so easily swayed and turns bitter. Phileo allows weakness, celebrates strength, and recognizes the flaws but is able to see the good qualities foremost. I do not want to idealize Philadelphia as some dream city, but I will say upon getting to our Airbnb, our host had sat wine out for me, gave me very detailed directions as to get to different locations, and made both Joaquin and I feel very welcome. We felt the love.      After sipping a glass of wine and giving the road trip and toll bridges a good liquor cleansing from my system, Joaquin and I walked the few blocks from our Airbnb to the train station. The...

Often I make the long drive back to Humboldt because it is my home; it is where I spent a large portion of my youth, and it is where my family resides. Without the grey fog, murky bay, brick sidewalks of Old Town Eureka, the broken people mumbling their broken responses to a broken world, and the glazed over eyes of half of Eureka’s population (maybe more), my teenage self could not have fully embodied its angst; Eureka was essential in forming me into the cynic I am today, but its salty air also nurtured romance and empathy in my soul. This particular trip home was filled with a diversity of Humboldt’s treasures. There is a nice bike trail that runs along the bay; it is quite scenic, and on some days, one can even see a heroin addict shooting up in the middle of the trail; but if that is too raw of a visual experience, one can always look up and see the synchronized movements of birds flying low over the shimmering blue water. Most of the time people mind their own business o...