It’s been two weeks since I surrendered my dog. I’ve checked the shelter’s website – no takers yet. They renamed him Dumbo which I think is an unfortunate choice. In his bio they say he’s best in a household with teens or older. Naming him after a Disney character seems to send mixed signals about…
Which Way is North
I’m inching ever closer to a departure date – from my job and from State College. That feels like a bold statement given that I don’t have a job, apartment, or moving company lined up. I think I know where I’m going, but even that is a little up in the air. Last week, my…
Daily Fifty-Two: Jul. 28, 2023
Limbo leaves me languishing and lost. This house is big and there are too many rooms in which to wander. I need batteries and check junk drawers and boxes. I throw things away. So many things – little odds and ends. Useful things, just not for me. Unburdened from their responsible care.
Daily Fifty-Two: Jul. 27, 2023
In the darkened room at the end of the hall, I stumble into her – nearly tripping over her skirt dangling on the floor. Her softness invites the weight of me. She’s quiet and receiving. She is a silky balm. She’s patient in her waiting. I’m tired and in love with my bed.
The Tuesday Night Cantina
I had, for the most part, cut out my Tuesday night bar night. But yesterday, Tuesday, I got some disappointing and unexpected news: a job that I was told I was the clear front-runner for went to someone else. That seemed like a good enough reason to stop for a pint. A guy I hang…
Daily Fifty-Two: Jul. 26, 2023
Nothing moves in this creamsicle sky. Trees stand resolute. I crack the back door to hear sounds other than the electric light hum from above the kitchen sink. Sound is a type of movement – the birds are still alive. A molten sun appears – too bright to have any shape. Good morning, sun.
Daily Fifty-Two: Jul. 25, 2023
Eyes and thoughts drift like falling clouds. This cast of characters gathered ‘round toss glances like stolen candy bars. The woman in the corner whispers to her friends. Her lips repeat yellow number five three times slowly. The tall man ducks below the exit sign as he enters through the swinging doors.
Daily Fifty-Two: Jul. 24, 2023
I see my image twice in the orangish-red mirrors of my sunglasses. The curve distorts the coffee mug, makes it look like a TV on a stand behind me. My hand, near the lenses, resting on the computer is gargantuan and elongated. The clear light from the window refracts a sickly yellow.
Sleepless Diagnostics
It’s 3:30 am on a Monday. I don’t sleep well on Sunday nights. In fact, I don’t do well with Sundays in general. Often, they give me feeling of heaviness. If I’m lucky, I’ll spend part of my Sunday morning reading or slowly drinking my coffee, but quite often, I get into a mood where…
Daily Fifty-Two: Jul. 23, 2023
This isn’t real. The man inching his silver pickup truck back and forth as he parallel parks. The blurry family member talking to me on the front porch. The white ceiling fan with the slight wobble. The red can of Coke sweating in the heat. The plastic webbing of the rocking chair.
Daily Fifty-Two: Jul. 22, 2023
A gang of toddlers run wild on a sunny hillside. They chase a yellow and orange soccer ball with dinosaur decal panels. Three boys race in wobbly circles like a small swarm. Legs and arms tangle when they fall in a heap giggling and squirming. They tornado back towards the picnic tables.
Daily Fifty-Two: Jul. 21, 2023
The last sip of coffee is cold. The sky is gray, and the breeze is soft. My verbs are softer. Being versus action… this is a morning of little action and mostly being. Quiet observations in the half-light of an overcast dawn. Things are. The ground is wet. The birds are squawking.