It was the wax bottles, the Maryjanes, the sixlets, and the caramel bullseyes, along with a vast array of other vintage candies that held my attention until I looked to the direction of my son. We were at a downtown sweet shop, and he was engaged in conversation with a young girl who looked toContinue reading “See Ya, Buttheads”
Tag Archives: fear
Sunsets and Storms
“How long do you think I’ll last? I mean, when do you think I am going to die?” Ethan’s questions still sometimes catch me a bit off guard. I am not sure I ever give him answers that satisfy or even make sense to him. I had to come up with something. “Well, Grampa isContinue reading “Sunsets and Storms”
Mirrors and Empty Containers
Maybe he didn’t intend to leave it here, but I’m happy that he did. The whole kitchen fills with the smell of good coffee, because it’s whole bean, and I have to use the grinder, which makes me appreciate the roast even more, when I already feel like I am getting away with something byContinue reading “Mirrors and Empty Containers”
True Story: A Crack in the Egg
The sun was just beginning to set as I finally made my way out into the evening, leaving the confining walls of the hospital, alone, as I had done more times than I might like to recall. Hoping, beckoning, begging, crying out that this will be the end, the catharsis, the transcendence, the awakening…the timeContinue reading “True Story: A Crack in the Egg”
Am I Good?
There’s true magic to outshine the first bloom of an orchid when, through self-study, patience, crossed fingers, and a bit of fish emulsion, buds emerge on nearly-two-years-barren stalks, only to show themselves in quiet succession with breathtaking beauty, sugar plums in shades of violet and pink, worthy of the most compelling dance of the NutcrackerContinue reading “Am I Good?”
Sparkles and Fear
She didn’t say a word, and neither did I. It may have seemed like just a piece of paper, but to me it represented much more. For nearly eighteen years, I had held on to it and kept it safe. And just as I handed it to her, she let it slip away. Wendell wasContinue reading “Sparkles and Fear”
What I Hope You Will Know
“And just as the darkness got very dark, he bumped into his big fur mother, and she took her little fur child home in her arms and gave him his supper.” –from “Little Fur Family” by Margaret Wise Brown Here is what I hope you will know: it is different. Raising babies that IContinue reading “What I Hope You Will Know”
Going Home
It could have been a driving snowstorm, or maybe the thickest, most dense fog that I had experienced; I don’t remember the precise conditions, but the fear will never leave my memory. I’m a nervous driver anyway, but this night, travel would have been unsafe even for the seasoned race car driver. I should haveContinue reading “Going Home”
Words
I was so distracted by what she had said that the rest of her words swirled together and floated in an elusive ring through the air, mingling with the incense before fading to a place where there are no words, only the deep sense that something indiscernible has happened. What she said must haveContinue reading “Words “
