I’m a collector of phrases. I live with some phrases for decades. I tape them to my desk and on my window sill. I read them as necessary. But I need new phrases all the time. Right now I have a new one on my bulletin board above my desk, written in my scrawl. It […]
Sturdy
When I think of sturdy, I think of you walking across the park as night began to arrive. You look taller from a distance. You’d just used your Lime Bike app to buy me a ride. You’re the one that reached out to grab the electric bike so I wouldn’t crash into the fence. I […]
Want + Need
I want to be a collage artist. I want to be in two places at once. I want to be a poetry professor and the woman who sits in the school while her daughter attends 6 tutoring sessions a week. I want to go backwards and nab an MFA at age 26. Or forward and […]
How To Draw A Triangle
How to Draw a Triangle When Given 3 Angles by Nancy Schatz Alton Go to Google. Type in: how to draw a triangle. Watch: when given 3 angles pop up. Click on the first choice. Watch the ad. Click the ad off. Watch the man explain how to draw a triangle. Show your daughter. Forget […]
Riptide
Riptide by Nancy Schatz Alton Can I be considerate of my bitterness? Can I make my own remedy? Can I be citrus peel? My rush of long feeling overpowers minutes. I’m always stepping back, considering the underbelly of bitter pulling myself apart until I can love whatever gets […]
Cause And Effect
I capitalize the A because it’s crazy sometime how clearly I see Cause and Effect. How yesterday a friend called and invited me to see Michelle Obama with her friends. What a huge gift. Liz was sad I wouldn’t be home last night and I said, “Liz, it’s Michelle Obama.” Touché. I think the entire […]
My Life
I’m falling into feature research at work. Which makes me remember why I love my job. The task of learning fast: I adore it. I talk to people and bathe in their thoughts, their expertise, their ideas, their beliefs. I spin in data. I dive as deep as possible with the time allotted. I rearrange […]
Bloom!
The skyrocketing pollen count has me in her grip. Or is pollen a he? Perhaps a they? All I can tell you is that I am tired and chilled, and I get why Liz had to sleep in yesterday, as the pollen count took her down first. Comma, comma, comma. We are not down. We […]
Cut: Cue Sunlight
The heat of the sunlight these last few days: it unfurls easier breathing in me. Even as the allergens reach epic proportions, letting my body warm up in the light reminds me to slow down. I am moving so fast, taking in so much info. Some of the info nails me right in the heart […]
Dreamscape + Trees
The nights are noisy with my dreams. In the morning, bits and pieces flash before me until the quiet silences them. I want to be quiet. I let the loud crashing of my demons simmer down. It’s hard to talk when there’s so much grief in this world. All the stories held in ink on […]