I remember playing near a fire hydrant on a hot beaming sunny day.

I remember my mom telling me it’s not safe and the fear of being outside alone creeping up my back.

I remember cheerios and pop tarts for breakfast while my mom played charmed or any of her favorite classics on.

I remember the thick-cut bangs I had and hair that reached farther than my waist and how long it took to convince my mom to let me cut it.

l remember playing Minecraft with my uncle as he taught me his favorite games and YouTubers.

I remember my mom and step-dad going to Puerto Rico so my aunts and uncle spent the week with my step-brother and I.

I remember staying up all night that week and having fun with my family and how hard we laughed when one of my aunts got stuck on a scaffold.

I remember my mom taking me to a Katy Perry concert in fourth grade, it made my day.

I remember the first day of my new school

I remember the tears in my eyes streaming down like a overflowing river 

I remember being attached to the tv for hours watching powerpuff girls everytime i came back from school 

I remember going to the park every weekend with my sister and cousin and always coming back with a scraped knee 

I remember the matching outfits my mom put me and my older sister in even though we were not twins.  

I remember every Halloween party we would do , dressing up as my favorite characters. 

I remember saying good morning to my fishie blue in his oversize tank everyday. 

I remember being excited to attend school everyday

I remember not having to worry about myself 

I remember going to amusement parks and having a belly ache after the sugary foods i had consume 

I remember talking to the sun and singing a song to it

I remember having it easy as a kid

I remember occasional trips to Catskills to see my grandpa and grandma from my dad’s side.
I remember the girl who lived downstairs in the apartment I lived in for 5-8 years, and how she and her sister always wanted to play dolls with me.
I remember my obsession with Monster High, Barbie, and My Little Pony.
I remember being told constantly how irresponsible and clumsy I was for always losing something.
I remember my other obsession of headbands, and questionable clothing choices.
I remember being labeled the best drawer in 3-5th grade, and going all out for any assignment that required some sort of art skill.
I remember my best friend, who hit puberty surprisingly early, and me having questions but not wanting to seem disrespectful or offensive.
I remember everyone telling me to stop biting my nails, how my fingers will turn out ugly, but no matter how hard I try the urge keeps coming back.
I remember letting my nails grow for as long as possible so I can get them done, but it never really lasted long.
I remember nostalgic Spanish songs being played at the barbecues and hangouts my family threw.
I remember wanting a sister, then getting annoyed when she acts like me.
I remember my mother also planning for a baby boy, but something tragic happened.
I remember the big house I lived in in New Jersey for about 4 years, and my big room in it.
I remember complaining about how I don’t have enough shoes, and now I can’t decide which shoes to wear.
I remember constantly going on my computer and playing Animal Jam.
I remember watching Youtube and watching people play the games I wished I could, and how my parents called the videos “weird”.
And I remember calling my sister weird when she watches the same type of videos I used to.
I remember getting mad because my dad picked me up from school while my friends went home with each other, but then later on being grateful for it.
I remember getting upset because my sister got her phone at age 6, but I just got my first phone in 6th grade.
I remember wanting an iPod just so I could play music, but my parents denied it, and my sister Facetimes her friends daily.
I remember being such a nice person that i’d let myself get “thrown around” and teased by the people I called “friends”.
I remember wanting to be popular, so I started acting like it, but it never worked for me, so I gave up.
I remember wanting curly hair while everyone complimented my straight hair.
I remember everyone calling me white even though I was Puerto Rican, just because I was so pale.
I remember my huge obsession with reading, and how I collected all of the “Warriors”, “I Survived”, and Raina Telgemeier books.
I remember  bringing way too much money to my school’s book fairs, and people wanting me to buy them something or calling me lucky.
I remember intense dodge ball competitions in the gym or recess.
I remember being so excited to grow up, and now wanting to freeze time.
I remember my parents telling me being an adult isn’t easy, and as an adult i’d realize that when I am one.

I remember being at school with worksheets and a pencil.

I remember being able to go for lunch running around the school jungle gym with my friends playing tag

I remember struggling with some tests and working harder to do better the next test

I remember having trouble with using wooden chopsticks and they just fall out of my hands

I remember my first time getting an old Samsung phone and getting hyped cause I’d have something to do when I was bored

I remember trying to reach something really high and being scared that I would fall down

I remember doing something annoying and thinking its funny

I remember playing tag and hide and seek in the playground of Seward park and sometimes getting very dirty

I remember trying to cram into an elevator to get to a doctors appointment and it being really annoying

I remember getting a ibuypower gaming desktop for the first time and getting kind of scared that I might break it

I remember the paper cuts that I received from composition notebooks
I remember the big 64 pack of Crayola crayons 
I remember getting stains from Crayola markers on my fingers
I remember listening to the Beatles ‘Abbey road’ for the first time
I remember playing on the tire wheel swing at the park
I remember playing with the rhino skin dodgeballs
I remember using Dixon Ticonderoga #2 yellow pencil
I remember watching the magic school bus on a tv during gym class 
I remember seeing the Mister Softee Ice cream truck outside after school
I remember the Titan Phone Booths

I remember waking up to the fresh smell of Pancakes  

I remember tumbling and scraping my knee outside 

I remember my cousins sleeping over 

I remember viewing movies at the theater 

I remember sleeping on the bottom half of a bunk bed 

I remember my dog passing away 

I remember my mom being pregnant 

I remember getting my own room and sharing it with my little sister

I remember being terrified of roller coasters 

I remember my excitement for camping 

I remember thinking my first grade teacher was my favorite teacher 

I remember going to swimming lessons at YMCA

I remember my constant fear of the deep end of the pool  

I remember always wanting to spend time with family 

I remember getting a new dog while visiting the Dominican Republic  

I remember my grandma always visiting in her white skirt

I remember the first time I went to school by myself in my pink converse. 

I remember the sound of splashing when I went to the pool. 

I remember when me and my brother went to the same school 

I remember learning to cross the street when the light turned to the white stick figure, and when not to cross the street when it showed the red hand. 

I remember seeing the sun blaze over me when I went to Jones beach. 

I remember the long windy drive to the mall 

I remember having a big group of friends 

I remember on fridays when my mother and I would get frozen yogurt 

I remember the soft touch of my mother when she would kiss me goodnight. 

I remember wishing to go to Hawaii to play in the sand. 

I remember when I used to dress up as my favorite fictional characters, Naruto, Rengoku from Demon Slayer, and Snake eyes from GI Joe.
I remember my first comic.
I remember my first video game system, it was a Black Genesis.
I remember the first Shake Shack burger I’ve devoured.
I remember the first song I enjoyed, it was Clint Eastwood by the Gorillaz.
I remember observing my grandfather hardening his gut to take punches for his Black Belt classes.
I remember my mom’s  BBQ ribs that she doesn’t make anymore.
I remember receiving 5 hours of sleep and still pitching a baseball game the next day.
I remember thinking Peter Pan’s Neverland was the Netherlands.
I remember regularly switching my answer when someone asked me, “if you could have any superpower what would it be?”
I remember pushing my toy truck and stumbling on a metal bar.
I remember that I  had pierced my forehead.
I remember some paramedics that happened to be standing where I had stumbled.
I remember reflecting on how lucky I was for them to be present.
I remember my mom teaching me how to ride a bike, I was eleven.
I remember me taking a shower and routinely imagining the washcloth was a piece of pizza.
I remember barking, “5-second rule!” after I dropped food on the floor.
I remember the sharp winds pricking my face, a day that was so cold  I was swimming with my friends in the numbing water of Lake Michigan.

He remembers what it was like to always annoy his sister 
He remembers what it was like to have trash internet
He remembers what it was like to try pizza for the first time
He remembers what it was like to lose his first boxing match 
He remembers what it was like to see his newborn cousin for the first time
He remembers what was like to go rock climbing for the first time 
He doesn’t remember where his favorite book is
He doesn’t remember where he put his boxing trophies 
He doesn’t remember where his PS2 is

She Remembers 
growing up watching horror movies
She Remembers
Being in love with Them
She Remembers 
Her dad playing old rock music in the morning
She Remembers
Going to the deli at 2am
She Remembers 
Living alone with him and my grandma
She Remembers
Coming home to watch South Park
She Remembers
Getting my first cat
She Remembers
Naming it “Kitty” 

She doesn’t remember

She doesn’t remember
Which horror movies she  watched

She doesn’t remember
What day she got the cat

She doesn't remember

I remember going ice skating, bowling,
 and to the movies a lot when i was younger
 with my mom. 

I remember getting hit in the mouth
 with a softball 2 times. 

I remember doing ballet, karate, and art 
when i was in elementary school. 

I remember my graduation to move onto middle school, 
and how i was super nervous because i been there my whole life. 

I remember my communion and confirmation for church.

 I remember staying for after school everyday and going home late. 

I remember hanging out with my friends almost all the time. 

I remember the excitement me and my best friend felt
 when we found out we were going to the same middle school. 

I remember the heartbreak we felt when we found out 
we weren’t going to the same high school. 

I remember the bad and the great memories with the friends
I grew up with, and loved deeply. 

I remember sharing those last moments with them, 
for they are the ones who make it hard for me not to remember.
         
 I don’t remember ever getting hurt. 

I don’t remember my past summers, the hot days, 
the traveling when i was younger, or the really happy days
where the sun rays were hitting my face, 
and no matter how many times i looked away, it always found a way. 

I don’t remember some of my family reunions, 
or the last time when every single one of us were together. 

I don’t remember what my family from my dads side even sounds like. 

I don’t remember much things of my grandma. 

I don’t remember the last time i didn’t feel alone. 

I don’t remember the last time i actually felt like the happiest person ever. I don’t remember how i was when i was younger. I don’t remember when i changed. I don’t remember anyone playing with me as a child. I don’t remember how i knew i was smart, and how i knew i needed to keep myself happy when no one else was there to do that. I don’t remember when i started to get lectures. I don’t remember how i truly felt when i was alone, playing by myself. I don’t remember how i came to be today. I don’t remember when someone came to me to say, “ don’t worry i come back another day and it’s going to be one of the best days.. ever”.  I don’t remember how i picked up on things, and who taught me. I don’t remember who showed me half the things i use today. I don’t remember how i stay strong after everyday. 

She remembers that her parents made her move out 
of her old bedroom to make that room a closet. 
She remembers that in her childhood 
 her dad did her hair every morning during elementary school. 
She would make him do her hair extremely tight 
So she would need something to bite on.
 He was the best at doing hair even her mother agreed. 
She remembers in her freshman year of high school 
she went to Yale University for Model UN
 and had the best time with her friends. 
She remembers when she went on her first cruise
 it was the biggest at the time she got lost on the last day.

She doesn’t remember the first time she started walking
 when she was a toddler. 
She doesn’t remember when she started 
taking swimming class at a University.
 She doesn’t remember the first day of kindergarten 
and how she didnt want her dad to leave. 

I remember
when I used to get all the attention on my block
I used to wear lovely dresses my grandmother bought me. 
My hair was always done in bubbles and clips.
I remember when I tried to follow a figure skater 
and I busted the middle of my head open. 
I remember getting nine staples 
people holding me down to close my cut. 
I remember when I was the only grandchild 
I used to get everything for Christmas 
and traveled everywhere. 
I remember when I used to cry so hard in preschool 
when my mother dropped me off. 
I remember when I laughed then cried 
After seeing my baby brother's picture. 
I remember sliding down the stairs with my cousins 
until our butts hurt.

I don’t remember 
when I used to stay up all night 
with my parents and watch the sun rise.
I don’t remember when we drove more than 4 hours
To North Dakota. 
I don't remember how I got my scars.

I remember the first time i drank soda 
and started to jump off the walls 
like a bouncing ball with a whole lot of energy

 i remember when i put my hand on steering wheel 
and almost took me and my brother almost crashed
 and went into traffic , 

i remember when nobody was in the house so 
put on some cardi b and i thought i was a bad shut your mouth
 when i had on my glasses and a robe with a wig on , 

i remember when i rode my first bike through the park and i remember when fell off the bike the same day and got my first cut . 

I remember drawing on the terrace steps. 
 I remember spending summers.
 I remember biking to the town pool with my sister.
 I remember eating pasta on the back porch at night and making smores around the fire pit. 
I remember making lemonade stands. 
I remember our summer babysiters driving us around. 
I remember going to the pavillion with my dad and sister and biking through the path in the woods. 
I remember ...

I remember to set my alarm
I remember to wake up
I remember to brush my teeth
I remember to take a shower and get dressed
I remember to remember to have a good day and 
not let anything get in the way of that 
I remember to say bye to my mom before i leave the house
I remember to look around before crossing the street
I remember to walk to the train with urgency

I don’t remember to buy a pack of gum 
I don’t remember all the negative energy that occurs in school
I don’t remember to do my homework sometimes
I don’t remember to text my mom when i get to school
I don’t remember that my dad hasn’t called in months 
I don’t remember that my sisters haven’t checked up on me in weeks 
I don’t remember them being a necessity in my life 
I don’t remember that haters will hate 
I don’t remember how people will judge everything i do
I don’t remember how people feel like they are a priority in my life 
I don’t remember that i remembered to have a good day 
and not let anyone ruin that...

I remember somethings
But I don’t remember others

I remember my great grandmother
Seeing her every year as a young kid.
I don’t remember my school life as a young kid though

I remember when my old babysitter was late to my school bus on my birthday
I got to go on the whole route and back
I don’t remember my birth though

I remember discovering supercars
Especially Bugatti’s
I don’t however remember the first time I saw a supercar

I remember the first time I drove a car
My grandma was too worried to be in the car
I don’t remember when I first got into cars though

I remember somethings
But I don’t remember others

   I remember having so many questions about my name 

I remember asking my dad where my name came from, with his response being “I forgot” which made no sense to me at the time 

I remember asking my parents if i can hold my baby brother and them answering with “no”


I don’t remember seeing my mom pregnant with my baby brother or seeing her come home with my baby brother, i just know i have one 

I don’t remember being told i’m black and hispanic i just always knew it 

   I don’t remember being told that my name was Isaiah

  I don’t remember being told i had an older sister,                                                                       
  She has just always been there 

He remembers being dropped off at headstart and crying until it was over. 
He remembers waking up in the middle of the night to see his brother after a long day, it felt like it was the only time he sees him.
He remembers awaking in the the wee hours screaming extremely realistic nightmares and mom saying a prayer to calm him down. 
 He remembers his graduation from elementary school. 
 He remembers the huge water fights on his block on the scorching hot days, the water drying instantly after touching the burning surface. 
 He remembers mom boiling water to bathe when the hot water would shut off . 
 He remembers his first job.  
He remembers cleaning the projects all summer.  
He remembers his first check which was short. 
 He remembers saving his father’s life at a young age. 
 He remembers the bed shaking rapidly and the tears dripping down his face as he ran to get help.  
He remembers seeing his mom in a hospital for what felt like forever.  
He remembers mom and dad’s warmest hugs on the coldest days.  
He remembers summer days with his sister at camp.  
He remembers her always looking out for him till this day.  
He remembers finding out he was going to be a uncle and finding out his brother was having a little girl.  
He remembers all the family dinners ,all the car rides and road trips.  
He remembers his first time on a plane and first time leaving the country, and when he landed in Mexico. 
 He remembers the smiles and laughs from his parents and siblings.  
He remembers all his brothers jokes that always seemed to lighten the mood no matter what. 
 He remembers finding out he was going to have a niece and that his brother was going to be a father.
He remembers everything,  he remembers all.

I remember hanging out with my cousins.
I remember watching a lot of scary movies and being somewhat scared but also really fascinated and amused.
I remember helping my cousin out even though she was older than me with her math homework, and she helping me with english.
I remember hanging with my god sister all the time and doing crazy wild things just having a blast 
I remember meeting my best friend for the first time and knowing that was my other half
I remember my grandma dying and not knowing what to feel or not knowing how bad it hit me until it was over.
I remember the first time I stepped feet in harvest collegiate and meeting some new interesting people 
I remember meeting almost all my friends in high school.

I don’t remember the date my grandmother actually died 
I don’t remember the day my parents ended things and went their separate ways 
I don’t remember when the people I thought would be in my life forever stop being in my life 
I don’t remember when my friends stopped being my friends.
I don’t remember nothing, nothing at all

I remember playing after school with the neighborhood kids until it was dark or until their parents called them in for dinner.
I remember my grandfather fixing my bike tire every time I got a flat.
I remember my Mongoose got stolen the same day I got it .
I remember the 25 cent ices every Friday during lunch and begging my parents to give money so I could buy one.
I remember every friday the smell of buttery popcorn coming from the office and wondering who it was for.
I remember jumping on my parents bed when the bed was made and my mother coming in to the room with dirty look on her face, I would quickly run out the room so she couldn’t catch me.

I don’t remember when I was born.
I don’t remember the friends I had in elementary school.
I don’t remember What I used to wear for school.
I don’t remember my favorite foods or my favorite things to do.
I don’t remember what I learned in school or any of my teachers.
I don’t remember if I was a good kid in school or not.