umbilicus1. <anatomy> the depression, or mark, in the median line of the abdomen, which indicates the point where the umbilical cord separated from the fetus; the navel. 2. an ornamented or painted ball or boss fastened at each end of the stick on which manuscripts were rolled. 4. <zoology> a depression or opening in the center of the base of many spiral shells. either one of the two apertures in the calamus of a feather. 5. <geometry> one of foci of an ellipse, or other curve. a point of a surface at which the curvatures of the normal sections are all equal to each other. a sphere may be osculatory to the surface in every direction at an umbilicus. synonym: umbilic. origin: l. see umbilic. source: websters dictionary (01 mar 1998) |
i'm walking down stanton street, from attorney street to bowery, and i can hear this guy cheering along with (it sounds like) his kid or kid brother:
papi: "i say papi, you say chulo: papi!" |
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i'm crossing the street at 17th street and 8th avenue, and i see a little boy surrounded by three typical chelsea boys: 6 feet-ish, muscular, clone clothes, that unique hybrid of butch and queeny. they're showing the little boy how to shake hands like a man: steel grip, make eye contact. (i appreciate that: i've felt so many limp handshakes since i left the south)
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i can't say that being here has taught me much about being a man.
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| holiday highlights: 1. halloween: on the southeast corner of houston and mott, a little boy dressed in a superman costume is shouting "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!" at every nolita hipster that passes by. 2. thanksgiving: i go to a bodega and package store to buy toilet paper and wine, respectively. have to leave my booty, reluctantly, at the counter when i enter the package store. as i'm leaving, a well-fed, cheerful young woman says "don't squeeze the Charmin', huh? happy thanksgiving!" 3. christmas: my mailman, cartero, has left each of us in the building a tri-lingual christmas card: english, chinese, and spanish. |
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i once wrote a poem where one line read "i want you pulling me umbilically from this mortal coil." something about being pulled umbillically that was a compelling image to me then and now, like tugging at the heartstrings.
(click to request the whole poem) (the slogan for querico.com is "real latin... real easy.") |
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