She concentrates, eyes closed, and wills her scary thoughts into the box — the thoughts that wake her in the night. She had decorated the box with childhood fears, so they knew the way home. When I open the box, nothing is there. With a silent nod to me and the tap of her magic … More Closing the Monster Box
“Why is your hair going gray?“ 5-year old Flowergirl asked me.” No one else has gray hair.” “I will tell you a secret,” I said. “Many people choose to color their hair. They color it because either they have fun coloring it or their hair is turning gray and they want to cover up the … More Beautiful gray
Here is the latest poem added to the poetry page! Thanks for reading them. braiding her hair so wild like mine we are women present and future interwoven published in Moonbathing 12 (2015)
Certain objects become touchstones of our younger years. Perhaps it’s a small statue or a wall hanging that has come to symbolize childhood for you in some way. I wonder why some objects take on a special meaning and other objects do not carry any particular significance in our memories. The objects that have a … More unintentional touchstones
Mother’s Day is approaching, and once again I am reminded of the incredible blessing of children. Children energize me and sustain me. In this poem, my children save me from becoming a crumbling mountain of exhaustion to something like a volcano of energy. They help me form the new island of myself. I think many … More New Island
“I’m rocking you,” I said to Flowergirl. “No,” she says, “I’m rocking you.” She was right. She was rocking us with her foot as we sat together in the rocking chair, only I assumed that I was doing the rocking. Something small has shifted. So small I almost didn’t notice it. Today we received a … More baby steps
“Get my cup for me,” Flowergirl demands. “No,” I say. “It’s right there on the table. If you want it, you can get it.” “Get it for me!” she yells. Sometimes she thinks she is water and I am stone, that if she says something enough times, I will give in. This is not true. … More getting the cup
Four-year old Flowergirl broke the plaster paw print casting that eight-year old Sunboy made at his camp session at the natural history museum. Yesterday he excitedly told us he would be making the paw print, and today he was pretty upset when it broke. “We’ll fix it if we can,” we reassured him. I couldn’t … More Connected
She asks to put on her doctor outfit. She listens to my heart, gives me a shot, starts a medical chart for me, asking how to spell Mommy. At 4-years old, she is fascinated by the body. What is this part called, she asks, pointing to her calf. What would happen if we didn’t have … More The possibility of her
