Category Archives: Uncategorized

(for Annelise Cochran and the people of Lahaina) If you are inclined to heed the signs,you might. Wait. Here. You might hunker down, pause,expecting hoping wishing for instructionsabout what to do next. Sometimes they come.Often they do not. If you … Continue reading →

Remembering that we all hold themhelps us find compassion for thosewe imagine are not like us at all, when, of course, we are far moresimilar than different, all beingswanting to be happy, the reminder to release judgments, see the sparkof … Continue reading →

(for Pia Sieroty Spector) Pia brought lemon caketo the writing loft tonight,and even before I set outthe rest of the snacks (because people write betterfed, I always say—not least me) I am ogling the spongytriangles, their backsidescoated with a delicate … Continue reading →

A must-see for tourists,this tree spreading its long arms,aerial roots and leafy canopycanopy over a half-acre, it grew from an 8-foot sproutplanted behind the courthousein 1873 to honor Protestantmissionaries, who landedin this whaling villagea half century earlier. One hundred plus … Continue reading →

And what is more generous than a window? —inscription on Pat Schneider’s headstone,June 1, 1934–Aug. 10, 2020 ••• Along your windowsills you arranged stonespicked up and pocketed on your walks,the odd small cypress pod or a small cobaltfeather a jay … Continue reading →

(in honor of International Cat Day, Aug. 8) I was a cat girl first, long agoin the days when we allowed ourfemale felines to birth littersof kittens that my best friend,my sister and I “trained” to playwith dangled bits of … Continue reading →

Moments in a life sit side by side one another — the infuriating next to the divine, serenity next to fear, joy next to wonder and awe — moment after moment, one story layers over another that is erased or … Continue reading →

The dark horse of the alphabet,it can stand for the Christ in Xmasor indicate the female chromosome. It can mark the spot, this letterderived from the Phoenicians(the letter samekh—“fish”),borrowed by the Greeks (chi),two crossed strokes, whichthe Romans used forthe number … Continue reading →

And he, like me, having reachedthe age of Medicare, sounds as happily besotted as I’ve ever knownhim, 3,000 miles away by phone. I haven’t heard her side of the story,perhaps never will, but I hope she understands that his occasionalbluster … Continue reading →

Hot July afternoon, iced tea with Lisain my back yard, two cats lolling onthe carpet of well-watered greenerythat passes for lawn, when Diegomoseys over to sweet old Poki lyingunder a rose bush, leans over andgently licks the top of her … Continue reading →