Category Archives: Uncategorized

I understand the need for some bucking upin the dark times, the impulse to light candleshalfway between the winter solstice andspring equinox— the tradition of renewal in Candlemasor Imbolc, as the seeds of spring beginto stir in the belly of … Continue reading →

Nightly we travel back and forthon a gentle ancestral river,swimming together in warm water—no rapids or rocks in sight—those who’ve come and gonelending me their insight. They do not speak, but theysmile, hum, wink, as if we sharesecrets, which, I … Continue reading →

(for Deb) As the first daffodilpops up its brave yellow headon the second-to-last day of January, the sign in her yard that she plantedthe first time still proclaims: • Black lives matter• Women’s rights are human rights• No human is … Continue reading →

(for Donna) Second from the left wall,separated from my sister’s by a sink,hers always so much tidier than mine. Lately, in emptying those drawers,she has pulled out the snarl of yarn bitsand hair ribbons and released them into their hereafter, … Continue reading →

We have the best conversations now that she’s dead. She’s become a much better listener. I talk to her when I am alone in her housesorting through her things. I try not to say,“Why do you have so many…?” Because … Continue reading →

Hey, Ma, you know who else diedthe same day as you? You’re gonna love this:Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, the woman incarcerated as a child at Manzanarduring World War II, the one who later wrote“Farewell to Manzanar,” her memoir that you gaveme … Continue reading →

The ones who stand there in ungodly weather—the rain, the sleet, the snow of postal delivery folk, yes, but also amid the godawful heat and fumes of all manner of heavy machinery spitting dirt and gravel and sand and Lord … Continue reading →

If we could write one for her,we might reach for a bouncybeat, a major chord progression, though in a slightly sultry tone,because hers is the key signatureof joy. We could say that we have gathered to listen, to putour hands … Continue reading →

Can’t get enough I love yous,sincerely delivered from oneswe adore, especially fromchildren or spouses,dear friends, or the pawand maybe a lick froma favorite four-footed one. Thanks is always nice, too,and an I’m sorry from onewho had a thoughtless momentdoes wonders. … Continue reading →

After a few more hours pulling bookstopped with miniature dust bunnies offher shelves and stuffing garbage bags full ofdecades-old papersmagazinearticlesjournalsand lugging them to the driveway to heft intomy trunk a couple hours after sunset, I realize thatthey are too hefty. … Continue reading →