Humanity: Raw & Unfiltered
Rosemary’s Babies Co. is a non-profit organization founded in 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Rosemary Oglesby-Henry with the specific purpose of helping teen parents navigate the treacherous and often frightening world of teen parenthood. Armed with the mantra of being able to help change the life trajectory of young parents Read more
“Mommy, there’s a shooter,” my daughter whispers through the phone. I’m dumbfounded. I recently took a class at work about active shooters and what to do if you run into one. I try to remember what I learned. “Hide,” I say. “Get down and be quiet.” I can tell she’s Read more
I am the oldest of three children. My brother Danny is a year younger than me, and we grew up, mostly, as tight comrades. We were a moderately happy family of evenly numbered four. I love even numbers. When I turn up the television volume, it must be by an Read more
I am watching pink streaks lighten the gray dawn, deepening and glowing as the minutes pass above silhouetted firs, brightness glowing from the bottom, skyward. I think about my mother, seated in her chair facing sliding glass doors to the porch, her face towards the light, keeping vigil, watching the Read more
The washer is full of clothes I need to hang up The dryer is broken They need to be hung up before they smell I’ve washed the same load 3 days in a row I said this time would be the last But I’m tired because The dishes are overflowing Read more
I don’t tremble, but they assume I’m Katherine Hepburn’s kind. We share our Parkinson’s frozen mask, expressionless, involuntary deceit of emotion. My shuffling gait halts while I calibrate my balance, refusing my wife’s arm even as my committee of limbs won’t comply. Stiffening, my six-foot body cracks against the shower Read more
I am in Santa Monica. It is a sunny April day. The temperature is 80 degrees. Perfect beach culture weather. Near the Pier and down Ocean Avenue, the beautiful Pacific view is overrun by the homeless. Mostly men, dressed in t-shirts, jeans, and slipshod sneakers. They hold half-crushed coffee cups Read more
The day after spending Christmas with family, I received a text message from a close relative. You are a self-centered piece of crap. Good riddance. You’re not welcome here ever again. Period. Everything was planned at our expense. What the fuck did I plan? What the fuck is everything? I Read more