There’s a cloud of them, forming and re-forming like an angry amoeba. They’re battering the windows like marauding movie zombies. They. Want. My. Blood. “But it’s AB,” I yell at them. “My blood is AB-negative. You like it O. O-positive. I read that somewhere.” It must be my scent. Or the fact I’m now […]
God, Are You In . . . ?
At the end of chapter 12 (“Hospitality”) in God in the Yard, L.L. Barkat suggests a writing exercise. Begin with a simple jotting of the objects and people around you . . . Choose just one of the images and make a second list, focused particularly on the item’s attributes . . . Next, try […]
One Word Less For Lent 2015 – 20
L.L. Barkat is good at dealing dares. Last night it was to use two key phrases in a single post. I think she mentioned something about cookies. I may have even heard the word, “chocolate.” But as an “official” mischievous barista for Tweetspeak Poetry, how could I ignore her–even for just a cup […]
A Letter to My Younger Self
Dear You, Yes, you, stretched out there in that lawn chair behind the cement-deer-family-topped, moss-rose-planted mound. You with yet another book in your lap. You probably shouldn’t have burned that story, you know. But it’s okay. It’ll serve a lesson, and it’ll make a good story. Girl, you’re always going to love books. And […]
Poetry Prompt: Waves
I Saw Her Standing There Hey Dude I saw her standing there in the shallows shunning your advances as you teased her toes. She twisted and turned and swayed her hips as the wind whipped hair around her face. My heart went boom when I crossed that room and I longed to sweep her into my […]
31 Days of Coming to Grips with My Age ~ Day 26: When You Fear You Have No Voice
I used to sing in a 100-voice choir, though it wasn’t that big when I first joined. I knew how to read a little bit of music because I’d taken a whole year’s worth of piano lessons. But I didn’t know how to make my voice create the notes. So I suspect I started […]
Looking Full in the Face
She hands me the green and takes the blue. And we stretch and swipe and watch the birdie flop in the grass. And when it falls apart, we superglue it. We maneuver ourselves into places that block the sun so we can see more clearly. Because sometimes sight is better in shade. We avoid scratchy […]
Five Minute Friday: It’s Beyond Me
I’m having one of those feelings. I can’t put my finger on it, and I can’t describe it. Like where part of me has separated from this body that houses me. Does it ever happen to you? I know it sounds weird. And it’s beyond me. The air is fresh this morning. The […]
Dancing With Julia–Or Not
We went to the symphony on our first date and then somewhere for a bite to eat. I ordered a shrimp salad. A bit extravagant, probably, but I thought he was rich. His parents drove a Mercedes, after all, even though they were farm folk. I remember how he encircled my right hand with his […]
Five Minute Friday: I Didn’t Expect
I never expected to have children. I never dreamed of a family. I didn’t play love and marriage or stuff my shirt with pillows. I did dream of caring for others. Maybe in far countries. I even used to hope I’d find an injured animal so I could take care of it. But I never […]
