Solitary Impressions

The initial inception for crafting this novella germinated twenty-three years ago. I wanted to devise a type of autobiography underscoring certain experiences in my life, referencing Puerto Rico as the backdrop for its creation. While exploring and searching for my personal ensimismamiento (search within), I adhere to the literary "flow of consciousness" technique in my prose for ruminating on life's meaning, interconnecting my individual and global perspectives. My discourse is derived from my respective perceptions and academic training along with knowledge gained from my travels to Latin America and Europe. For me writing and speculating on life can be encapsulated at specific and well-defined moments. In the summer of 2014, I remember sitting with my wife at a shaded table drinking café con leche inside the 18th century courtyard of Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, Spain. There, I opened my journal and composed one of a series of poems in Spanish during our seven day sojourn in this illustrious World Heritage City. Free verse and stream of consciousness represent the modes of communication for expressing the thoughts I choose to explore. Here, I define my place as a quasi-philosopher in the silent contemplation of ideas recorded simply with papier et stylo (paper and pen).