“Mostly we nurture our own blessings or spoil them, build firmly or undermine our walls. Who are termites but our obsessions gnawing.” — Marge Piercy, Nailing Up the Mezuzah By the time you read this, I’ll have been at a writer’s workshop on Madeline Island for two days, with three more to go. I wonder…
That crazed girl improvising her music. Her poetry, dancing upon the shore, Her soul in division from itself Climbing, falling She knew not where — “A Crazed Girl”, William Butler Yeats Soul in division from itself… I can relate. To return to sanity and wholeness I’m digging in dirt, listening to birdsong, and walking. Ahhhh,…
Not so pretty Supple and lithe A boney bump And scar Horse accidents Gardening Snow shoveling Music These hands haveEarned their keep They loveMugs of hot coffeeCold bottles of beerAnd digging in the dirt Oh, the friends they’ve made!These hands of mine Rubber grips for opening stubborn jars And magnetic necklace clasps But they continue to…
On Tuesday, I received in the mail some photos that my ex sent me. They must have gotten mixed with his things when he left me over three years ago. There were photos of the first meeting with my birth sister, my first meeting with my birth brother (also given up for adoption), my birth…
We look for the unusual through our camera lens, but try too often to hide it in ourself. Yes, I know, there are people who strive for uniqueness a brand of “me” a scarf that took hours to drape just so layers of mismatched jewelry, or dramatically madeup eyes. But who wants to cultivate qualities …
I know this is long, but if you are a writer or woman of a certain age, it is so worth reading (I can say that because I’m just the messenger, not the brains of the message). I spent the weekend at a writing conference for writers over fifty at Open Book in Minneapolis. I…
