I have a friend Named Hanna. One of my oldest friendships, A cousin. On Friday she wore stripes And I said-- "Like a raccoon" And she twisted her head like a raccoon, Pranced a dance to the table Her hands pulled Chest-ward Like paws. We went camping in August, Hanna and I. Five days ofContinue reading "Friend poem No. 4"
Friend Poem No. 3
I have a friend Named Julia. She sometimes writes me letters-- Snail mail-- In cards she has designed herself, Her practiced hand switching from script to CAPS. She writes of saints, Flowers, Love, Friendship. She picks flowers, Sketches heaven, Buys dark chocolate. She cuts her hair short, Announces to her office that They will beContinue reading "Friend Poem No. 3"
Friend Poem No. 2
I have a friend Named Joseph A nation-known legend Brilliant at musical score. Other people tell me this But we rarely speak of it. Sometimes we call each other With good reason, too-- Busy, bustling business. Only--he laughs too easily, And then I do, too, And we digress over and Over and over Into storyContinue reading "Friend Poem No. 2"
Friend Poem No. 1
I have a friend Named Noah. A Viking man-- Broad and bearded. He is the Ferdinand the Bull of Vikings. His solid shoulders could Plunder villages, His brawny knuckles Break through doors, Carry piglets to the ship, Him unheeding his bleeding cuts. But, He doesn't. Sometimes he makes his sister Picnics. Her favorite foods InContinue reading "Friend Poem No. 1"
We can’t have the “before”
You can't go home again. And things will never be the way they were. Those memories will always remain The ones that painfully birthed you Into a new version of life And, standing there, you feel your fingers reach, Almost without calculated thought, Towards that life you had "before," Elusive, though, because you can't goContinue reading "We can’t have the “before”"
My Super Sister
When we were little, my father had a plastic milk crate of comic books, leftover from his childhood, which were stashed in a sliding cupboard in the dark, old paneling of the basement. Most of the comic books were about Spiderman and Batman and whoever-else-MAN, but, a few were about a dark-haired Amazon named Diana.Continue reading "My Super Sister"
A toast
Here's to a summer Like the summer Of the girl I saw A few days back, Making her way downtown (As the song goes). Maybe fourteen years old, She moved slowly down the sidewalk With a friend, both in sandals and yoga pants. They walked with enough determination That I knew there was a destinationContinue reading "A toast"
Just FYI about the goodness of God
So, few years back I used attend this one church, and once a week I would sit on the steps with my friend, Tim, and I would say, "Do you know what I would like to do?" And I had all of these elaborate plans, see. Ideas and dreams about big festivals where faith andContinue reading "Just FYI about the goodness of God"
On the eve of the summer solstice
Is there anything better than coming home too-late on a summer's night because the friends were too fun and the conversations too rich and the night just-warm-enough? And is there anything better than your skin being kind of dirty from a mix of the sweat of the day and the mosquito repellent you spritzed onContinue reading "On the eve of the summer solstice"
Camino de Santiago — ye olde tips
So. You want to walk the Camino de Santiago. Enough people have approached me in my personal life about walking this ancient trail through Spain that I eventually made a form email response. "Hello, I'd like to walk the Camino, can you point me in a direction?" Why, yes, I can *forwards email.* But thenContinue reading "Camino de Santiago — ye olde tips"
Seashell Nell 