27

This is what 27 looks like. That was my exact thought as I sat on a bench outside the bank, waiting for my friend to finish his tasks. I like how it looks. I like the numbers together, two and seven. I like that they add up to nine, which is three threes. And nine times three is twenty-seven.

Twenty-seven things: I love unsalted butter. I'm a good cook, but don't cook for myself.
Pink, red, yellow-green, and slate blue are my favorite colors. My favorite poem is "Lucky Life," by Gerald Stern, followed by "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," "The Song of Despair," by Pablo Neruda, "Skunk Hour," by Robert Lowell, and "Ceriserie," by Joshua Clover. I have three brothers. I draw what I wear every day (I've been doing it since February). My favorite time of day is early in the morning. I love watching the clouds move across the sky here. I'm allergic to artificial cinnamon flavoring but I love the candy Hot Tamales. Languages I would like to learn are Czech, Welsh, Finnish, and Greek. I don't kill bugs anymore (except mosquitoes and probably silverfish and centipedes). I like my feet and hands. I've never broken a bone, but I've lacerated my liver. I can't travel without tape and scissors. It's hard for me to use pretty notebooks, but I'm getting better at it. Riding on a train is an automatic positive. I never liked basil until my best friend cooked with it. I really enjoy grocery shopping. I bake things without recipes (and they usually turn out). I like dogs. I get homesick for places that aren't really 'home,' like France and Japan. The word 'kingfisher' has always been evocative for me. Every time I pass lavender plants in the parking lots here I pick some for my room. I ran a five-minute (well, 5:07) mile in high school. I miss the smell of lithography. My friends are amazing and talented and I feel hugely lucky to know them. I believe people are essentially good.

Have some cake, from me.