Already Packed
We carry within ourselves the direction our lives will take. Within ourselves burn the timeless, fateful stars. -Antal Szerb. Journey by Moonlight.
When All The German Fell Out Of My Head
In every tunnel, because the darkness turns the windows into mirrors, people in the train gaze at their own reflection. They pose, pat their hair, examine their own eyes. As … Continue reading
For A Rainy Day
Love and trust and gentleness between two humans is rare. Love is rare and the expression of love is rare. I am grateful to you. -Iris Murdoch. The Green Knight.
Sundance Kid
The shaggy-haired boy has stopped his bicycle to watch a man on a machine unearthing blocks of cement. The boy plays with the strings from the hood of his sweatshirt. … Continue reading
Pool Rules
In the apartment complex swimming pool, two women have the expanse to themselves. They hold the wall and kick, stretching their legs, exercising between observations about the day. Their graying … Continue reading
A Pledge to Curl Up With More Books
“Always I find when I begin to write there is one character who obstinately will not come alive. There is nothing psychologically false about him, but he sticks, he has … Continue reading
She’s kind of, oh my gosh
The three elementary-aged kids outside want to be characters from Star Wars. The little boy is trying to stake a claim. “Who is, you know Chewy? You know Chewbacca? What’s … Continue reading
Health and Wellness
The old man winks at a woman on a stationary bike, the kind where one can sit upright with the pedals before them. He is pushing seventy, or pulling eighty. … Continue reading
Another Love Story Where Nothing Happens
He is hustling across the U-Bahn station, but as he passes the elevator, he slows his pace. Then he shifts his path to head for the stairs. There is a … Continue reading
Caught, Captured, Heaven-Forbid Memorialized.
At first, the poet looks like all the other men at the table. He turns toward the PowerPoint slide of the painting that the panel was meant to discuss. The … Continue reading
Screening
Emir, one of the men working at security, introduces himself. Polite, friendly, grinning and testing his English. Austrian airport security seems a long way from home. He asks about my … Continue reading
The Secret
She walks sheepishly from the changing room and down the hall, tugging the dress around her hips, tugging at the tag under her arm. She leans her head out and … Continue reading
Solitude with an Encore
She’s sitting alone, yet she wraps herself in a full embrace under a red pashmina. She looks meek, but wears ballet flats with sparkles. A hardback peers out the top … Continue reading
On Finishing Up
The creation of something complete and whole, be it good or bad–and if it’s never entirely good, it’s very often not all bad–yes, the creation of something complete seems to … Continue reading
Giddy Arrivals
The young girls break free from the distracted travelers entering the main terminal. They spot their father straightaway, call “Daddy, daddy!” and rush to him by cutting around various legs … Continue reading
Mr. Postman Bring Me A Dream
She tugs at her left earring as she leans to her right, nearer and nearer to his mail truck. His gray hair lilts in the breeze. Even at seventy, she … Continue reading
Solo
In the tiny café, one has to adapt to custom and share a table with a stranger. I receive a welcome from a woman with hip glasses and excellent posture. … Continue reading
The Chances We Take
Such a lovely moment in the airport to see the couple stop and kiss. In the spontaneous moment, their children take a few more steps, then turn to look up … Continue reading
Mr. Independent
A little boy in a blue t-shirt acts tough, strong, fearless. He clutches a toy truck low at his side and eyes the passengers on the train. His father sees … Continue reading
Road Trip. Colorado, Kansas, and Who We Are
…we’re not born with unlimited choices. We can’t be anything we want to be. We come into this world with a specific, personal destiny. We have a job to do, … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 