On the same day my father was in a car accident that eventually led to his death, my sister, Tricia, had a grand mal seizure. Family members were in the hospital supporting her when my father was wheeled in on a stretcher. His vital signs were fine. He was talking and joking, coherent enough to […]
1. I once had a bumper sticker on my car that I hung upside down. It read “Why Be Normal?” 2. I also had a recycling bumper sticker that I stuck on my car twice. It said “Once is Not Enough.” 3. Speaking of normal and not being so, my sister Kathy recently had a […]
So the girl who never wanted … the gown and veil … who blushes and deflects “congratulations” … becomes the “bride” … not the opposite of groom … but “the tie that connects a pattern of work” … and the “groom” is the care that we give it … Colleen Every wedding anniversary my husband, […]
There’s a mad rush in June to get married, graduate, go to a prom, or on a summer vacation. In my own life, I attended my son’s fiancé’s graduation from nursing school in June. It was a large class in a big auditorium. To keep my mind busy during the hour and a half of […]
Dance is my sport. Either that or my art. When I go to the monthly “Dance Free” in Floyd, it’s a cross between going to the gym and a rave party. Endorphins are released. Contagious smiles get exchanged. Some dancers spin like dervishes waving brightly colored scarves, while others sway, stomp, rock, or weave in […]
Slipping under the black netting nailed to a wooden frame that protects my blueberry plants from birds, I picked berries for the first time this year. It was dusk and a firefly was in there with me. A slight sultry breeze offered a momentary break from the day’s oppressive heat. As I strained my eyes […]
1. Wise Women: Girlfriends at Zephyr Farm attending one’s twin daughters’ high school graduation party. 2. Green Eggs and Ham (not): Eggs from Ed and Randye’s farm. There really are some green ones. 3. My Favorite Most Photographic June Flower: A peony from the garden at The Harvest Moon Health Food Store. 4. All that […]
1. Trying to write in a café is like trying to sleep on a bus. I sleep better at home in my own bed and write better at home too. 2. Remember back in elementary school how relevant your last name was because it determined who you would sit next to? By that logic, if […]
It was Kathleen’s birthday. Mara brought cherries to share. We met at the Café Del Sol where there were 3 Scrabble boards to choose from and a few bags of mismatched letters, some of which had been purchased at yard sales for parts. The last time we played together, it was Mara’s birthday, and we […]
“I heard your Mother’s Day essay on the radio! Good job!” Rob, the owner of Oddfella’s Cantina said to me as I was coming through the Cantina door on my way to meet my husband for lunch. “It all started with you, Rob,” I surprised him by saying. He looked confused, so I explained. Two […]
Sometimes I worry that my bad poetry…like a nude photograph…will come back to expose me. ~ Colleen Sally, Café Del Sol owner and our gracious MC for the evening welcomed everyone to the June Spoken Word Open Mic wearing a purple horned headdress. “A variation of the purple poet’s beret some of us wore last […]
I opened my eyes to a tangible memory of my father’s kisses Hanging in the air like an overcoat with pockets forgotten in the summer taking up space in the closet As I shake off the sleep a question takes shape If I added them up over the course of my life would […]
