Humanity: Raw & Unfiltered
Nearly eight years after my father’s death, I received a phone call from the nurse I had hired at the end of his life. Jen was a kind and compassionate person, and she had been at his side when he passed away. Because of her other commitments, she was unable Read more
Summer meant grandma’s 80’s brown conversion van. Brown carpet, brown velvet curtains, semi-sheer accordion blinds and dimpled beige leather seats and a third row, pulled at the rusts into a bed. A speaker system more elaborate than the dash and a giant bread cupboard that actually stored a mini box TV. Read more
My delight at the ultrasound tech’s declaration, “It’s a girl,” was immediately followed by a heaviness and fear I associated with that specific gender reveal: the food thing. I did not feel this panic a year ago when the sex of my son was announced. Food things were girl things. Read more
The floorboards creak as you shift your thin frame closer to mine. They groan like the ghosts of our past, the persistent and unwritten tension between us. They speak of the unspoken desire, suddenly rekindled by our proximity. The ghosts sigh as your breath brushes my neck, a welcome rush Read more
She eyes me above water-fill lines brimming with confidence and ruby-red smiles boasting crimson-stained cheeks, her merriment swirls by candlelit chimeras showcasing nuances of red, bookmarks of who she is. Slowly, a carmine chant rotates in her waters, vermillion-coated, dark as molasses enticing lovers to hold her crystal stem drowning Read more
You have wandered this road for a long time. You have left versions of yourself along the way, like sluffed off skins of earlier snakes. There are times when longing pulls you back to examine the scraps of tissue paper skin that hint at the nature of these other selves. Read more
Youngest leaves for college today. Our house appears to understand. Our house appears to understand. Water heater breaks, ceiling weeps. I grab a mop, sweep up the weeps. Sam the Appliance Man is booked. Every plumber in town is booked. She carries on, keeps packing up. Nothing stops her from Read more
