Sometimes I think I’m not really qualified for this job,the job of my life, I mean. “Homework” by Tony Hoagland Today, I felt wholly unqualified for life. I bounced between trying to write poetry, trying to write a post about trauma, processing the potential challenges of moving (tied to the post about trauma), reading poetry,…
Category: Life
Being Present, Engaging the Senses
In June or July of 2019, I went on a road trip through North Carolina. I had a few interviews lined up and spent time wandering around different cities. I stayed in Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Charlotte. I can’t remember which city or Air BnB it was, but the shampoo they had was the same…
Conflict and Therapy
Thursday nights were therapy nights. We did this every week or every other week for a few months. Trying to recall our routine, I think it must have been every other week, but then something tells me that we had weekly homework or that we would be asked “how was your week.” The frequency only…
Sometimes Expecting the Worst
Oof. On Twitter, I saw a poet say she had time to provide feedback on a few poems (for a fee). She was being recommended by someone else who said that after incorporating the feedback, all of the poems were accepted for publication at various literary journals. Despite being turned off by the prospect of…
The Day after Valentine’s Day (2023)
Yesterday, I thought about writing a Valentine’s Day post, or an anti-Valentine’s Day post. I also thought about doing a phone dump of screenshots of love poems (which quite often aren’t “love” poems). Apparently, the former poet laureate, Billy Collins, has been doing a video blog or podcast or something like that in which he…
Maps and Memories
I feel like I could have or should have been able to predict my afternoon slide into a slump. A slump that has, somewhat intentionally, stretched into an evening slump with a glass of wine. I wish I could describe the feeling better. It’s a bit of a hollow feeling and at times a desire…
Go Birds
I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I spent most of my life living outside of Philadelphia. When people would ask where I’m from, it was easier to say Philly because nobody knew where Bensalem or Yardley were. My elementary school would take field trips into the city to the Franklin Institute which had…
A Good Week
It’s been a good week. Though it’s only part-way over and there’s still plenty of time for Chekhov’s hammer to wreak havoc: Every happy man should have some one with a little hammer at his door to knock and remind him that there are unhappy people, and that, however happy he may be, life will…
Wherever I Go, There I Am
In the day or two after referencing old results of personality tests which suggest that I’m a mediator of sorts who both seeks and brings calm and balance, my web stats reminded me of posts I’ve written that might suggest otherwise. Posts about my various anxieties (generally needing to be early and my discomfort over…
Happy Sunday Y’all
You might as well turn back now. This is one of those list/update posts. As in I’m not sure I have anything to say, but having spent a day in solitude with good music and good books, I feel compelled to say something. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of songs from the band…
Three Scenes in Paris
Last night I dreamt I was in Paris. I’ve never been to Paris, so the dream was full of what I imagine Paris to be and what I’ve seen on TV. I remember discussing pastries with a woman I met through a mutual acquaintance – a man who looked like a heavier version of the…
They Say It’s the Journey
No sooner did I finish writing my “Love Letter to Memphis,” I hopped in the shower and was immediately consumed by two or three thoughts: “home is always somewhere else,” “home is where other people are / home is with other people,” and “I can fall in love almost anywhere / with any place.” I…