I should have known sorrow would flood my heart. I should have known grief would grab my belly and soak my face. I should have known I’d search the crowd for my dead husband’s smile. I should have known
Read more →Political Action
Women, girls, kids, and men in pink hats and scarves jammed the Washington Metro subway. A joyful and determined pink mob pressed together and helped each other find a place to stand or sit. Each stop added
Read more →On election night, I went to bed before 10 p.m. My breath was shallow. My belly tight. Reading didn’t help. I got up and took Ambien. Damn this election and the fear-mongering headlines. I awoke at 2 a.m.
Read more →My college years began with the assassination of John Kennedy in 1963. In 1968, the year after I graduated, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. The world felt threatening and unstable. A lot like now. I was
Read more →“These aren’t marijuana plants,” the policeman said to his partner. He bent down to inspect a second tray of tomato seedlings I was growing outside and frowned. “These aren’t marijuana plants either.” He slowly shook his head with disappointment. They searched the outside of our
Read more →As we walked downhill toward the lake, hundreds of kayaks, canoes and paddleboards bobbed in choppy water. Small balls floated near them–bathing caps and bare heads. Wet paddles sparkled as they moved toward us from across Cayuga
Read more →A small group of women and men gathers at the south end of Seneca Lake for a sacred water ritual of gratitude and protection. I wrap a Tibetan yak wool blanket over my winter coat. It’s 15
Read more →My legs ache and a blister throbs, but I don’t stop or slow down. I focus on the copper vessel ahead of me with its beaded red cloth cover. It holds water collected four days ago at
Read more →I lean into Vic, tucking my shoulder under his arm. Feeling me tremble, he unzips his jacket and wraps it around both of us. I’d rather be in bed, pressed against his naked body, but instead I’m
Read more →“Come on, Elaine, let’s dress up in our Hector regional costumes and take a photo for the party invitation.” “I have gardening to do, Vic. Let’s do it tomorrow.” “No, today,” Vic insisted. “It’s a perfect day.
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