Poems, stories, and reflections
South
Thank-You Notes—Just Do It
Never cross a Southern dowager. Period. Within hours of the delivery of my first wedding gift, Mom handed over an alphabetized recipe filing box replete with 3×5 index cards for documentation. “Just do it. Now. Not later.” That meant scrawling the name of the giver, the address, a clear description of the gift, and the […]
MoreThat Golden Time
Three decades ago, I would have spurned Mr. Nimoy’s comment about “perfect moments.” I was in thrall to the existential belief that perfect moments do not exist. As humans, we constantly rewrite history. Our lens changes as we witness birth, life, death. My father’s death last September brought me to a garden of perfect moments. […]
MoreBlooming on a Delayed Timetable
Catching a man couldn’t begin too early in the South. Not that mamas coached their babies in helpless sighs, arch glances, and pretty pouts. Those charms came naturally—at least for a few girls who budded early, their hot-pink and lime-green dresses giving the dusty playground a lush look. Their hair, parted precisely in the middle, rippled long […]
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Put on Your Travelin’ Shoes
If you want the best-laid travel plans delivered to your door, go to Em’s on the Road—great rambles through the South, Midwest, and beyond. Here you’ll discover the best of America’s regions. You’ll get insider info . . . one-of-a-kind shops (fashionable, funky, junky) . . . architecture (pioneer, preservation, modern, and more) . . […]
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