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
National Poetry Month is winding down, and while I haven’t posted each day here on the blog, I’ve written a poem every day in April for VerseLove on Ethical ELA. April 22nd was Earth Day. Host Emily Cohn invited poets to “remember an island: real, fictional, ancestral, or otherwise… Imagine or describe a world there.” … Continue reading A slice of memoir poetry: Island gift
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
For Monday’s VerseLove on Ethical ELA, host Brittany Saulnier extended this invitation: “Today, write a poem inspired by science and perhaps, whimsy…The challenge is to ensure the reader can simultaneously glimpse the scientific concept you were inspired by and a universal truth.” As always, my thoughts turn to nature. It is always teaching; are we … Continue reading Science poem: Existential Dance
noun a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness. —Dictionary.com ******* I could hardly wait to get home yesterday to check the progress of the new finch nest on my door wreath. On Day Two, it now has the characteristic cup shape. It’s lined with white fuzz, a soft cushion for the precious … Continue reading Blessing
I forborechecking the finch nestin the wreathon the door after threemaybe fourlittle finches hatched in the cold I knew that Februaryseemed too earlyfor laying that sustainedfreezing in Marchcould take a toll but I heard Mamaand Papa House Finchchattering all along with babies’ bright voices until a day or so ago they’ve fledged and gonealready, soI … Continue reading Finch elegy
a slice of memoir I am standing with Aggie Ray at the bus stop. I don’t know why we are here or where we are going. Aggie Ray, big as a mountain with black hair parted in the middle and a face like a storm cloud, has brought me here. We had to walk a … Continue reading Unfare
And so this festive feast day rolls ’round again, leaving me pondering my (supposed) green roots. I grew up wearing green on this day just so I wouldn’t get pinched at school. We weren’t Catholic, so for a long time I didn’t understand the history of saints and feasts. I did understand leprechauns, however, because … Continue reading Quotable Patrick
One of my earliest memories is sitting on my grandmother’s lap while she read to me. I recall several of those old books, a favorite being the story of a koala. I don’t know what happened to the original book, but a few years ago I found a vintage copy online and ordered it. First … Continue reading Koala life lessons
lit bits and pieces 