Vaccine, Anyone?
At the grocery store the other day I chatted with the cashier as he rang up my purchases. He already had disinfected the moving belt at his checkout station, he…
Fear, Racism and a Tipping Point
We have all become so familiar with the symptoms of coronavirus that the slightest of aberrations in our health make us paranoid. A few nights ago, I literally woke myself…
Enough already: Black Lives Matter!
The events of this week have been devastating for many of us, but for none so much as the family of George Floyd, the man killed by Minneapolis police last…
Comfort, Hope, and the Five Little Peppers
After my sister and I cleared out my mother’s house before its sale, I came home with some childhood books that I wanted to keep, and stuck them on a…
Commencement Canceled
Oh my goodness. The Class of 2020 isn’t getting a graduation ceremony. No caps and gowns, no processing into a giant, over-air conditioned auditorium or athletic stadium, no beribboned diplomas…
Canceling the Cushion
I gave up meditating recently. Or perhaps I should say I gave up trying to make myself meditate. Finally, I surrendered to a fundamental truth about myself: I am never…
The Need to Knead
I am, like a lot of other Americans, spending a lot of time in the kitchen these days. Okay, truth be told, I spend a lot of time in the…
How To Make Art
During this weird liminal time of coronavirus, I know a lot of people who are finding a compelling desire to make something—painting, drawing, dancing, playing music, writing, cooking—anything we put…
I Am Really Angry
These days I am desperately hoping that Mr. Trump or one of his close family members contracts the coronavirus, so he will finally understand that this is not just a…
Poems for Pleasure
My greatest solace throughout life has been writing. Recently, I was going through a box of papers and photos retrieved from my mother’s home before we sold it, and came…