When we got married, Sandy had two twin Tonkinese boys, litter mates. I grew to love them. They’re gone now. But their personalities were a gentle teaching. Rico was the bigger of the two, darker in color, slower and more cautious, tentative, and reserved. I felt the weight of his fear and judgments. He was … [read more]
Just Like That
Just Like That So, I’m sitting at my desk, finishing a report for work. I could see out my office door, across the living room, to where I had the sliding glass door open leading onto the deck. I knew I had closed the screen door, but it was half open. I moved into the … [read more]
Snake People
Snake People April 19 2025-year of the snake We shed layers, if we’re lucky as we slip through the grass hunting for mice. Flakes of fear left in the sand, reflections of a snake floating in the pond scum, brightly banded skin with colorful shapes, crisp with regret and guilt, drying in the sun, … [read more]
Portmanteau for a coup
Anonymosity noun / Hostile feelings toward those we don’t know. / Although I clearly hold the correct opinion and they are utterly delusional, I strive to temper my anonymosity.
A lesson in connection
I Image: Ruel del Jamorol Interconnectedness reveals itself in innumerable ways, most very subtle, often hidden. Few are this disarming I have been staunchly anti-war since I was a teenager, confidently so, smugly perhaps, schooled on Howard Zinn, Staughton Lynd, Tom Hayden, and David Harris. But my commitment was never tested. I read … [read more]
Thus
I live in a world, incomprehensibly diverse, with endless patois, patina, pigment, songs, stories, species, tensions and tears, coming and going always. I live in a country changing by the minute, a snake eating its tail, a dream dissolving, its future behind us. I live on a mountain, primed to burn, kindling all around, squawking … [read more]
