Edward.Marlo.Ruiz - The Nightingale Ambassadors

A few days ago, we have started introducing our Ambassadors, beginning with Asteria Geisterblum—you can check that post out here:

In today’s installment, we’re going to look at the next in line.

Introducing Edward.Marlo.Ruiz

Asteria is a tough act to follow, but we think Edward can Rise to the challenge without a problem. You might know him from the paragraphs he writes: literary bites of the human experience, whether about grief, bedlam, solitude, or on a more positive note, dogs.

Or, more visually, from the collages he makes. Collages are, in essence, a collaboration between the one who compiles all the images and those who have created them in the first place. What could be a more beautiful metaphor for writing, when writers collect the interesting pieces of life around them (experiences with others, ideas in books they read) and assemble them in something not only new, but uniquely theirs?

Review

The story we wanted to review for Edward is Rise, a poem of 250 words.

It is so far only available on substack, so beware, as this link is going to lead you elsewhere.

“Look at what I have become.”

Edward lays at the intersection of what English teachers want to teach and what students genuinely want to read in their free time: experimental expression, be it in words or images, a deep exploration of both the constraints of the medium at hand and of the human condition alike.

Perhaps what you’re reading is a stream-of-consciousness meditation on idolatry, a symphony of quick factual information interspersed with longer moments of reflection.

Perhaps it is a story of a lonely man trying to maximize his dating efficiency via AI. A beautifully written story, with no excess words.

Or perhaps it’s a collection of micro poems that make your insides fester with their uncomfortable imagery.

Rise is not a poem to be described accurately. It’s something to be experienced first-hand.

It’s a poem about a once-human creature yearning once more to feel the bittersweet tingle of humanity, to feel alive.

Its skin was shed like a sea crabs shell.

Remaining was nothing but bleached bone and long voids.

The creature, grotesque in a landscape of absolute beauty, unfeeling in a world bursting with emotions, tries to acclimate.

Its senses were lost, but the flower glowed with a tender fury.

Then it sees a woman. She’s alive, unlike the creature. They couldn’t be more different. But they both collect the fragments of beauty around them, the lavander tulips that brighten the scenery. And what is love, but finding that what truly unites two people are their innermost desires, rest of superficial details be damned?

With its own bundle and a single dark brown eyeball emerging from its right eye socket. It tapped her gently and whispered, “Do you see me?”

With a smile she whispered back, “Yes.”

Because this is a story of a romance so celestial, even the stars are rooting for it. Even when it’s not meant to be.

It emerged as bone, no sinew. It could be crushed under its own weight if not for the threads of the stars that hold it up like a dancing puppet.

Inspiration

When asked about his inspiration, Edward shared a deeply personal story:

“This one I’m still very proud of, in a bittersweet kind of way. I wrote the original draft for someone I was deeply in love with, of which during that time it was dwindling, decaying. We’ve went our separate ways now and since then I reworked this piece slightly to leave out any personal details and focus on the feeling of longing, hope, love, and dying to find it again.”

If you like what you’ve read here, we’ve linked some more of Edward’s work below.

The next installment of the ambassador introductions will be up in four days. Look forward to meeting Lila!

Edward’s Work

You can read more of Edward's stories on his profile: Edward.Marlo.Ruiz

Or over on his substack: PineBox Readings