Month: May 2009

Shoelaces They tend to disappear and then re- appear, incarnated by the children into whips or nooses, hand- or ankle cuffs. Clumping laceless around her house she sees the evidence everywhere: wide-eyed dolls beaten into surrender, a satin horse dangling from a doorknob by its slender neck. Gentler lives emerge sometimes – a ribbon for … Continue reading Shoelaces

Every happy chore makes her happy in the same way – satisfying to perform, tangible results, a smoothing-out-of-life feel when she’s done – but every unhappy chore is unhappy in its own way. Vacuuming is one of her favorites, and so is wiping down the kitchen, and so is laundry. Ironing? Dusting? Get thee behind … Continue reading Happy in the Same Way

She was walking her dog near the Stone Arch bridge, high above the Mississippi. The day was a day of dreams, sun and wind and sky and every flowering tree mad with blossom and scent. Far below the water of the mighty river raged and foamed and spun itself over falls. Her dog was tired … Continue reading She Met a Man by the River

A day without sun, a day of gray rain and gray wind, a day when you suddenly do the mad calculation of spring-to-fall days and think, “My God, if the sun comes out right at this very moment and shines down continually until the cold returns, you will have only slightly more than one hundred … Continue reading "The Only Reason to Make Art Is Because You Have To," said the potter to his friend.

Once there was a baby boy. He was an intense and passionate baby. Before he was born, a couple of weeks before his official due date, his mother sensed that he wasn’t yet ready to be born. She could feel that he needed a little more time, just a bit more, so that all his … Continue reading Is This Where We Are?