The poet X: a novel

Part I. In the beginning was the word: Friday, August 24: Stoop-sitting ; Unhide-able ; Mira, muchacha ; Names ; The first words ; Mami works --

Tuesday, August 28: Confirmation class ; God ; "Mami," I say to her on the walk home ; When you're born to old parents ; When you're born to old parents, continued ; When you're born to old parents, continued again ; The last word on being born to old parents ; Rumor has it --

Tuesday, September 4: First confirmation class ; Father Sean ; Haiku ; Boys ; Caridad and I shouldn't be friends ; Questions I have --

Wednesday, September 5: Night before the first day of school --

Thursday, September 6: H.S ; Ms. Galiano ; Rough draft of assignment 1 : write about the most impactful day of your life ; Final draft of assignment 1 (what I actually turn in) ; The routine ; Altar boy ; Twin's name ; More about Twin --

Tuesday, September 11: It's only the first week of tenth grade ; How I feel about attention --

Saturday, September 15: Games ; After ; Okay? --

Sunday, September 16: On Sunday ; During communion ; Church mass ; Not even close to haikus ; Holy water ; People say ; On Papi ; All over a damn water --

Monday, September 17: The flyer ; After the buzz dies down --

Tuesday, September 18: Aman ; Whispering with Caridad later that day ; What Twin be knowing ; Sharing ; Questions for Ms. Galiano ; Spoken word ; Wait ; Holding a poem in your hand ; J. Cole vs. Kendrick Lamar ; Asylum ; What I tell Aman ; Dreaming of him tonight --

Thursday, September 20: The thing about dreams ; Date ; Mami's dating rules ; Clarification on dating rules --

Friday, September 21: Feeling myself.

Part II. And the word was made flesh: Smoke parks ; I decided a long time ago ; Why Twin is a terrible twin ; Why Twin is a terrible twin, for real ; Why Twin is a terrible twin (last and most important reason) ; But why Twin is still the only boy I'll ever love --

Sunday, September 23: Communication ; About A --

Monday, September 24: Catching feelings ; Notes with Aman --

Tuesday, September 25: What I didn't say to Caridad in confirmation class Lectures ; Ms. Galiano's sticky note on top of assignment 1 ; Sometimes someone says something --

Friday, September 28: Listening ; Mother business And then he does ; Warmth --

Tuesday, October 9: The next couple of weeks ; Eve ; I think the story of Genesis is mad stupid ; As we are packing to leave ; Father Sean ; Answers ; Rough draft assignment 2 : last paragraphs of my biography ; Final draft of assignment 2 (What I actually turn in) ; Hands ; Fingers --

Tuesday, October 16: Talking church ; Swoon ; Telephone ; Over breakfast ; Angry cat, happy X --

Friday, October 19: About being in like ; Music --

Tuesday, October 23: Ring the alarm ; The day ; Wants ; At my train stop ; What I don't tell Aman ; Kiss stamps ; The last fifteen-year-old ; Concerns ; What Twin knows ; Hanging over my head --

Friday, October 26: Friday ; Black & blue ; Tight --

Saturday, October 27: Excuses ; Costume ready ; Reuben's house party ; One dance ; Stoop-sitting

with Aman ;

Convos with Caridad --

Sunday, October 28: Braiding --

Monday, October 29: Fights ; Scrapping ; What we don't say ; Gay ; Feeling off when Twin is mad ; Rough draft of assignment 3 : describe someone you consider misunderstood by society ; Final draft of assignment 3 (what I actually turn in) --

Wednesday, November 7: Announcements ; Ice-skating ; Until ; Love --

Thursday, November 8: Around and around we go ; After skating ; This body on fire ; The shit & the fan ; Miracles ; Fear ; Ants ; I am no ant ; Diplomas ; Cuero ; Mami says ; Repetition ; Another thing you think while your kneeling on rice that have nothing to do with repentance Things you think while your kneeling on rice that have nothing to do with repentance ; The last thing you think while your kneeling on rice that have nothing to do with repentance ; Leaving ; What do you need from me? ; Consequences ; Late that night --

Friday, November 9: In front of my locker.

Part III. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Silent world --

Sunday, November 11: Heavy ; My confession ; Father Sean says ; Prayers ; How I can tell ; Before we walk in the house ; My heart is a hand --

Wednesday, November 14: A poem Mami will never read ; In translation ; Heartbreak ; Reminders ; Writing ; What I'd like to tell Aman when he sends another apology message --

Wednesday, November 21: Favors ; Pulled back --

Thursday, November 22: On Thanksgiving ; Haiku : the best part about Thanksgiving was when Mami ; Rough draft of assignment 4 : when was the last time you felt free? ; Rough draft of assignment 4 : when was the last time you felt free? ; Rough draft of assignment 4 : when was the last time you felt free? ; Final draft of assignment 4 (what I actually turn in) ; Gone --

Monday, December 10: Zeros ; Possibilities ; Can't tell me nothing --

Tuesday, December 11: Isabelle ; First poetry club meeting ; Nerves ; When I'm done ; Compliments ; Caridad is standing outside the church ; Hope is a thing with wings --

Thursday, December 13: Here ; Haikus ; Offering ; Holding Twin ; Cody ; Problems ; Dominican Spanish lesson ; Permission --

Friday, December 14: Open mic night ; Signed up ; The mic is open ; Invitation --

Sunday, December 16: All the way hype --

Monday, December 17: At lunch on Monday --

Tuesday, December 18: At poetry club ; Every day after English class --

Monday, December 24: Christmas Eve ; It's a rosary --

Wednesday, December 26-Tuesday, January 1: Longest week --

Wednesday, January 2: The waiting game --

Tuesday, January 8: Birthdays ; The good ; The bad ; The ugly ; Let me explain ; If your hand causes you to sin ; Verses ; Burn ; Where there is smoke ; Things you think about in the split second your notebook is burning ; Other things you think about in the split second your notebook is burning ; My mother tries to grab me Returning ; On the walk to the train ; The ride ; No turning back ; Taking care ; In Aman's arms ; And I also know ; Tangled ; The next move ; there are words --

Wednesday, January 9: Facing it ; "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do" ; What I say to Ms. Galiano after she passes me a Kleenex; Going home ; Aman, Twin, and Caridad ; Divine intervention ; Homecoming ; My mother and I --

Thursday, January 24: Stronger ; Slam prep ; Ms. Galiano explains the five rules of slam ; Xiomara's secret rules of slam ; The poetry club's real rules of slam --

Friday, February 1: Poetic justice --

Friday, February 8: The aftermath of the slam ; At the New York citywide slam ; Celebrate with me ; Assignment 5 : first and final draft.