backwards

life is continually and inexorably chronological, but there’s no rule against writing it backwards. especially when life is a bit backwards right now, and my shirt is inside out. so instead of a dawn, I’ll begin with a sunset. squinting eyes and sweaty foreheads as a sister of 9 years tramps besides me west down…

don’t close your eyes, child

01/06/20 there’s a minty taste in my mouth as I climb into the rental car and wave goodbye to my grandparents. they're standing besides the flowering mailbox nestled beneath the shade of a magnificent oak tree, hanging with the antique paraphernalia that seems to inhabit every corner of the old orange-stone house. i can still…

undulation

we were reading Gerard Manley Hopkins in literature class. his time-worn, enchanting metaphorical verses, richly ‘twined with religious and spiritual themes, is the very stuff that speaks to my soul. I was sitting at the kitchen table, elbows out, in the house of the little boys that I babysit. they had been asleep for many…

unity

every day this week the waves have crept stealthily close to the front lines of families sitting unawares underneath umbrellas, hoping to catch amateur-beachers by surprise and wipe out their colorful and sadly unfortified establishments. seasoned families including our little tribe pile all of our belongings onto chairs and strollers, and build trenches in front…

trees

he was only 17 when he wrote this, a lonely cry to God that he recorded and produced himself in his parent's basement. over 10 years later, this song has been on 3 albums, has ended hundreds of shows, and continues to inspire and impact millions upon millions of people. just listen, and maybe it…