O Carmen, my Carmen

For Carmen’s bon voyage

8.17.24

It’s Sunday

10 days until Carmen moves

I’m in the Amazon return line at Whole Foods

The person in front of me is taking more than 5 seconds to pull out the QR code

How rude

I need those five seconds to run home

Sit by my air conditioner

And mope

I want those five seconds

My friend Carmen is moving to LA

There isn’t enough time with her

8 friends have moved away over the past few months

And there isn’t enough time

I want to rip the safety belt off of the treadmill

I don’t know what I’m going to say on Saturday

It has to be perfect

About a year ago

Carmen and I roomed together at a bachata festival in Greece

She shared she used to do open mics

And we started talking about doing one

There’s plenty of time

Well

Here we are a year later

Time goes by

And it feels like

There isn’t enough time

Carmen is a daughter of the moon

And she shines in the sun

She’s a scientist by day

And an artist - always

If Kalisi is the mother of dragons

Well, Carmen is the Mother of Fruit Flies

Carmen brings out the best parts of me:

Adventurers driving up a mountain in Greece

Sharing her knowledge of fine wine and spirits

Disney movies and the soundtracks

And her friends who have become mine

The things I love the most about Carmen:

She goes all out. Period.

Cheeseboards, glitter

She’s all in

Carmen doesn’t just crumble at the sight of something stressful

She confronts it - head on

And you know she’ll take lessons in it

I feel like there’s not enough time

Because

Carmen is the friend that you’re really proud to be friends with

That you want your other friends and parents to know

If you are the company you keep

Then I am fearless

Intelligent

And the glue that brings everyone together

Because I know Carmen

I’m struggling to put to pen to paper

And at 2pm today - an hour before the party - I realized

Pen to paper isn’t satisfactory

Carmen is a 3D experience

How can you capture lightning in a bottle

She’s art in motion

I’ve thought this whole time

“There isn’t enough time”

But maybe

We’re on borrowed time

Maybe in another universe

Carmen went to med school last year

Or never wanted to dance

Or moved to LIC

Carmen wasn’t Carmen

And if we’re on borrowed time

That means

There was enough time

There is enough time

There will be enough time

And the thing with Carmen

She gives you herself in abundance

There’s never a shortage of love

There’s always enough

There’s always more

Cheers to you Carmen

May you feel the abundance you give so generously to others

O Carmen, my Carmen