One must never let the fire go out in one’s soul,But keep it burning.- Vincent Van Gogh It was the summer before college, and as a graduation present, I was on my way to Caracas to visit a friend, via Miami. But first, my wallet and passport got stolen—an anxiety nightmare that lingers to this … Continue reading Hidden in a Teardrop
self-discovery
Grateful Adult Child
"The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely."- Carl Jung Three things: One, in my childhood home there was a baking table in the middle of our kitchen. It had two giant metal drawers for flour and two heavy smaller drawers above them that were impossible for me to open. My mother had to … Continue reading Grateful Adult Child
Absolutely Six
A poem compresses much in a small space and adds music, thus heightening its meaning. The city is like poetry: it compresses all life, all races and breeds, into a small island and adds music and the accompaniment of internal engines. The island of Manhattan is without any doubt the greatest human concentrate on earth, … Continue reading Absolutely Six
To Bleed & To Heal
When she sees itFor the first time When she hopes she won’tAnd she does When she hopes she willAnd she does When she hopes she willAnd she doesn’t When she hopes she won’tAnd she doesn’t When she sees itFor the last timeDoes she know?(do we ever knowanythingis the last?) Most women likely understand and can … Continue reading To Bleed & To Heal
Dear Reader
"Truly, it is in the darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest of all to us."Meister Eckhart Dear Reader, You may have saved my life. I will explain. But first, a story. When I was in grammar school, I used to take piano lessons and … Continue reading Dear Reader
Re-Wild, Ohio Part 7
There is nothing of me that is alone and absolute except my mind,and we shall find that the mind has no existence by itself,it is only the glitter of the sun on the surface of the waters.-DH Lawrence* Themes that keep arising: home, childhood, sacredness, intuition, rivers, ancestry. The place where I find myself today … Continue reading Re-Wild, Ohio Part 7
Alma Mater
Over the past thirty years, the first weekend in June (or thereabouts) comes with it a perennial invitation to go back to school for the weekend. The most brilliant of fundraising techniques, our university offers a free party for four out of five Junes. On the fifth—or the majors—we pay and cover the way for … Continue reading Alma Mater
Squaring the Circle, Ohio Part 5
First weeks of June. 85-100 degrees. 99% humidity. The latest from our Ohio project. If you were to create a square out of the land and three buildings in our project, until a few weeks ago, you would have seen a fourth structure in the northwest quadrant. A house overcome with weeds climbing into windows, … Continue reading Squaring the Circle, Ohio Part 5
Set and Setting
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,We must carry it with us or we find it not.Emerson A few weeks into first grade, I saw my parents drive up to school in the middle of the day. Our classroom window faced the parking lot, and I watched as they emerged, immaculately dressed. … Continue reading Set and Setting
Open Doors, Ohio Part 4
On the first night I arrived in Ohio to stay, G gave me a tour of the house on the river—the former rectory—and all of the demolition work she had done in the month of my absence. A bat soared across the room vanishing into the darkness. A few days later I grabbed my work … Continue reading Open Doors, Ohio Part 4
Where I End & She Begins 