About a week ago, I put this picture on Instagram. The caption is simple: Choose the joy. That is what my mom always said. This picture was taken while I was laughing with a dear friend as we sat across the table from a man dying from a horrible cancer with a terrible prognosis. And…
Category: Health and Family
Four Your Favorite Number
Undiscovered I: The streets are blocked Just like my mind Uncomfortable and hot I search for a cool drink And all I hear are the echoes of your voice At the card table Searching for the Marfa lights In your bedroom Nature swoons to remember you The wind across the desert The butterflies and birds…
The Morning You Died
I have no idea what I was wearing. There is really no way to figure out such insignificant details. Sleepy and confused I sat by your side. You gasped and heaved for a breath. Your eyes were wide and distant. Watching your chest rise and fall, counting each breath knowing your passage was near. I…
unpublished love 5
trastevere, il primo agosto reveal to me what i left behind 19 years ago presented with choices i did my best to remain intact a battle insignificant to most gave to me courage bravery gratitude reaching into the coffers i request a large withdrawal that depletes my accounts as i beg for mercy and ask…
Family Gifts: The River and Cards
Ever since I can remember my family has combatted boredom in two ways: 1.) Go to the river 2.) Play cards My personal favorite is to play cards at the river. This does not literally have to be on the banks of the river, although when camping that’s fun too. My family has a great…
as i learn to walk again
at a pivotal age i learned that life ends and begins around me a pet deer a dead father tadpoles in the pool kidnappers behind the swing i begged for lighting rods ant bait and code words to protect me from my own mind i have experience with the dark night and the sun will…
resilience
dirty windows look upon a cottage from my dining room i keep a careful watch over bedroom curtains then i can see flickering lights if she wrestles with the night while i am awake writing silly poems about love as each day passes it will be harder to drive away the maturation process the…
A Plane Crash, a Needlework Sampler, and a Painting
This is a tale of ancestors, angels, and spirit guides. This tale is about the manifestation of whatever lies on the other side into physical form in my world. Connecting the events is tricky. Let me introduce my mother, Artis Ann and her Papa. Artis Ann was Papa’s only child. This photograph was taken before he…
Forgiveness: A Personal How-To
(San Marcos River at Scull Crossing) God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change The courage to change the things I can And the wisdom to know the difference When it was the hardest to forgive others or myself, when it was the hardest to see my hand in every…
Baseball’s Not Just a Game. It’s a Wildcard.
It’s not just a baseball game. It’s a wildcard, and sometimes I love wildcards. But today I definitely don’t. Wildcard games mean you can’t make many mistakes if you want to win. All the baseball players that I have loved did not play wildcard games. Baseball is a pillar of my family. And the Yankees…
LESSONS ONLY A MOTHER CAN TEACH
Tangible gifts are not what constitutes true giving. True giving is something that can only be gleaned from an expert. Only experts of true giving understand intent. Research says that to be an expert you have to work for ten years or ten thousand hours in the area you desire to know intimately. My teacher…
TELL ME ONE MORE TIME
When Ondy, my dad’s younger brother, tells a story everyone listens. Not only can he command your attention and make you laugh, but his stories are usually a reply to something you said or a perception he has about your life. He communicates through stories and dispenses advice and observation in this manner. As a…
arlisann 