de largo Haleine:
“Stop me if I go on a tangent” said Robert, artisitcally known as de largo Haleine. Except, neither of us wanted to stop him as it is through these tangents that we get to know the writers. We asked him about the story behind his artistic name. As he explained, de largo Haleine is a compound name meaning an expanded, assortment of expressions. Such name accurately describes his nomadic artistry and his ability to move from one creative talent to another. He illustrates, writes, dabbles in song writing and plays the guitar. He began writing as a simple expressive medium, and soon developed a deep admiration for the written word. Robert captivated us with his whimsical, yet uber real style of writing. His writing is easily relatable to everyday situations. While reading When They Curve You, one is unsure if this is a piece about being romantically turned down or professionally dismissed. This is his gift-- making his written personal tribulations a profoundly, relatable, experience for the reader.
When They Curve You
By Robert Reynoso (de largo Haleine)
When they curve you
Ask yourself, what you did or didn't do? then laugh
for there is humor worth having and a life worth enjoying
beyond the 5.5 and 13.3 inches in your hands and lap
For one, think about how much you saved
Both the money in the bank and time you didn't misspend
All the digital Double Dutching you will skip out of
All those poems you can pour yourself into
Then mix nutty things in like a carrot cake by VC Park
Think about all the stored energy for the thing you longed to do
All the model boats, games and trains you can now finish
Your crocheting and customizing that needs polishing,
The Dj-ing and producing that need dedicated ears and hands
The self-development class you've been wanting to take
The painting that needs your wine induced brushing
Think about all the untouched pages you can comb through now
All the hours to spend selectively sifting through volumes
graphic novels, Street Dreams magazine and scholarly articles
Think about all the travel you can do again
All the things you will see and experience with local peers
All that times you hoped to finally return Japan's call
To think you almost thought to disconnect your phone
Think about the job you didn't have to put work into
All the unappreciated effort for undervalued things over extended hours
The micromanagement & microaggression you exhaled profusely about in the bathroom
The hope pressed against the ceiling too close and too late for you to see
The wondering whether taking a slippery leap, is worse than sticking around, for a check
Think about all the false friendship you almost made
The ones you would seek to move within platonic boundaries
That would benefit the most from your doubts
That would tectonically shift and tecktonikally dance around you without a care
Think about all the food places you were about to give up
All the groceries that you would've purchased for special occasions
Those thankless vegan meals you don't have to cook for two
Those dishes no-one else volunteered to clean
The less than whole food chicken you ate one too many times
When you settled for the head and denied your body
Think about all the uneven thinking you don't have to do
All the cringy gift-giving gestures you don't have to dismiss
The exceptions to the rules you don't have to make because you will
No longer be taking your glasses off, when tallying your self-worth
Think about all the arguments you avoid
All the dramatic non-sense and their toll,
the plan B's you didn't have to buy
Or the guilt for making her take one,
knowing what it does to her body, knowing what it does to your soul
Think about all the doubt that never really left
but you suppressed from the beginning
All the questions on whether s/he's the one and why
All that time you eagerly submitted
like this was a test you thought you did good on
Like this was a Muh-Muh-Ah match that you didn't care to win
And while you think of all of this
Remember there is more than the things you avoid
Think that even when Andy* dealt his 2nd nastiest pitch
Someone would hit the next one out the park
So, remember when they curve you
Shrug it off, switch your stance
dig deep in that plate,
ready your next swing
be you, be great!
*Andy Pettitte of course!