There Are Times (Hour 11)

    There are Times     There are times when my side aches as my ribs go in and out in reaction to what someone has said. My smile bursts with concavity and I show plenty of teeth.   Other times I react to…

Hour 11: Laughter

Sporadic chattering, the twisted breasts of a tree, like an aging woman turning to look behind her, arms outstretched above her head. Is she stepping out of the shower? Why is the bark so smooth? Shining like wet skin. A talking smile speaks with rolling…

Stained (11 of 12, half marathon)

I looked down the line of other students’ hands. Their skin was white and plump, like they never had to pick a bean in their lives. They didn’t have to earn a dollar in the fourth grade. I put my hands together, hoping to cover…

Letting Go6pm

Every time I left the house went to a restaurant or a store I’d hold their hands It wasn’t weird I was little I liked it All was right in my world It gave me reassurance that I knew where they were and where I…

Amelia – hour ELEVEN

My daughter channeled Ethel Merman when she was little. She barked out her observations in decibel levels capable of cutting through any acoustic barrier and with such delight that during those days I would have dared anyone to be around her and remain serious.  …

Aerosol cheese

In France when it’s time to take a photo we don’t say Camembert, brie or cheddar But call out a monkey Oustiti! feel the corners of your mouth and eyes wrinkling as you say it

Joyful Memories

His joy spills out in rumbling, and deep, rolling peals Hers reminds me of fizzing and bouncing, Like those wonderful bath bombs Hers is soft and bubbly, sometimes exploding into rhythms of squeals, leaving no question of delight. Their little one attempts to mimic both….

Involuntary Reaction

Involuntary Reaction   She couldn’t believe it had happened again As she tripped down the stairs on a toy. She’d told him and told him to pick up his things, Oh where was that dratted boy???   He was in the kitchen covering his mouth….

Hour 10: A Savior Serpent

There is a truth that lies behind my unblinking eyes. A truth that is uncomfortable to hear because it is spoken with a forked tongue. In the stillness there is transformation. Scales that protect,  harden and dry, a time for abrasion arrives. To move in…