LatinosUSA

«Alina» by Miriam Costa

Longing travels to Alina; up close, everything is calm and silent, but from afar, that longing feels more like a missile unleashing volatile emotions into the quiet. She says she can no longer tame the fear, spending time away from her target—her ex-boyfriend, Jânio, whose arms are covered in tattoos. Another striking trait is his punctuality. She remembers him as tall, intelligent, and odd, yet also a caricature of a man. She recalls every fight she had to stub out more fiercely than a cigarette, resting her seduction on the immediate moment and making Jânio more than just the king of the scene.

Thoughts crowd a dark room; a stack of seconds within every second; the taste of metal in her mouth and a few heartbeats in her chest… she realizes that longing makes everything loom so large!

For her, the fear of loneliness is like an arrow flying eternally through the air…
A weary black hat.

At the airport, everyone warms to Alina and her newfound gains: cleaner teeth, fine clothes, a car, and a specter haunting Europe… a key turned in her heart—perhaps for the last time—belonging to Jânio: a tenant who annihilates, clever and bourgeois, bearing no inner scars, his eyes made of ink. He remained a memory, while she kept on living.

Some people sing.

Some people keep the librarian busy.

Some people understand longing.

Some return without ever leaving the same spot.
Alina—dew, a slippery stone, a lime, a primitive poet—hiding behind dark glasses, she doesn’t even know for sure how she stopped loving him so much…

but, how did she come to love him in the first place?

*Featured image by: Miriam Costa

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Author Bio

Miriam Costa – born in Luanda, Angola, arrived in Brazil at the age of 3, loves to read and eventually studied fine arts. Her writings are always a mixture of her drawings and digital collages. She participated in group and individual exhibitions. She created poetry zines and have her own brand of skateboard shirts. Published 8 books in partnership with international writers, a member of the readers’ club in her city and also does volunteer work with children. She collaborated with columns in law and business consultancy newspapers with a «feel» of humor. She participates in poetry collectives and creates independent album covers. Graduated in radiology, fashion, she is a bilingual translator, editor of Masticadores Brasil, also a writer for CronicArte magazine. Photography and poetry is in her soul.