It was some time in the first grade.
“I’ll Be Missing You”, “Don’t Speak,” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart” were some of the radio’s preferred songs of the day
while I was in my classroom, learning and playing.
We had an assignment to write a few sentences each on large index cards, to hang in the hallways on full display.
I didn’t quite know what “creative writing” meant back then, but I went hard at the task-
Finished early, my teacher gave me her approval, a smile, and I knew I had passed.
But then I sat down at my desk
And then thought of a few phrases better then the ones I used, I didn’t let it rest-
I started making edits for already finished work.
I smiled wider with each improvement I made to what I wrote.
My teacher noticed and said “Ruben, that’s great, but I need to review all the changes you make!”
Before I knew it I went back to her to approve three or four, or maybe more changes to my work,
almost running out of time while perfecting my craft.
Looking back, this was when the writer’s lightbulb went off in my head.
It felt like I was traversing the world and my mind at the same time. Still does.
If life is an ocean, this is the day I built my creative writing raft. – RSM
Rubén Sebastián Muñiz | ∞ 