All my life, I wanted to live in the country. I was the child of streets, sidewalks, bridges, overpasses, a city that set its watch by military bases and the shipyard. I am now the sound of roosters crowing before daybreak, geese honking and flying in their “V” against an egg-colored sky, glassy ponds with … Continue reading A slice of long ago
A long time ago in a Galaxie far, far away . . . A little girl clutches Mama Bear and Papa Bear. Baby Bear has accidentally been flushed down the toilet. Clad in a mod red pantsuit instead of a long white dress, and with hair too short for cinnamon buns on the sides of … Continue reading A long time ago in a Galaxie far, far away
I was sixteen years old the first time I went to New York City—that’s the same age, according to his own writing, that St. Patrick was kidnapped in Britain and carried to slavery in Ireland. I didn’t know this fact at the time. I arrived in the city that long-ago day with my high school … Continue reading In the name of St. Patrick
I cannot say, Child, what you might be experiencing within, but I can tell you I dreamedthat we were sailing along a river with green overhanging boughsand that the waters before us were only troubled by a successionof indentations made by tiny feet running rapidly across—a little Jesus lizard, there in the recesses, trying to … Continue reading River dream
It all started last month when I saw one hummingbird in the backyard, out by the pines. She appeared from nowhere, hovering stock-still in the air across the yard, directly facing my son and me as if to consider what manner of beings we are before she darted away—poof. Perhaps it’s just my overactive imagination, … Continue reading Hummingbird observations
Hummingbirds lead a solitary existence. I saw one hummingbird out back last week, darting about the pines. It turned in my direction, tiny pale-bellied fairy-creature suspended in midair, as if to acknowledge my presence across the yard before zipping away. I wondered if it was making some kind of request. The next day I bought … Continue reading Solitary existence: the hummingbirds
It is deafening, the sound. I turn to my husband: “What’s the matter with the car?” He’s driving. He looks perplexed. “What do you mean?” “That droning sound. It’s so loud.” “Oh, that. It’s just the road.” This is a man who once worked at a major auto parts store. Granted, he took the job … Continue reading Car trouble
I still do not know where your parents are at present. I am just your surrogate human grandmother figure who lives behind the blue door where you lie resting in your beautiful downy nest in the magnolia wreath. Quite alone since your Sunday debut. Three days now. You ought to have had at least couple … Continue reading Dear Little Blue Egg
There’s a curious balance in life. Maybe the same can be said of death. Once upon a time I watched a day-old kitten die in my mother’s hands. I wept that it didn’t have a chance to bloom and grow. I named it Edelweiss (who among you will catch that musical allusion?). Not so many … Continue reading A curious balance
Many years ago I read a series of books about a young 1940s veterinary surgeon beginning his career in Yorkshire, England. The stories are captivating, hilarious, heartwarming, and heartbreaking; the characters—some of them animals—are larger than life, unforgettable. I fell in love with these stories right away. And so I have again, with the Masterpiece … Continue reading For love of all creatures
lit bits and pieces 