Poems, stories, and reflections
The Daily Post
Leaders: Who Plays in the Sandbox?
In response to The Daily Post prompt: “Dear Leader”—if your government (local or national) accomplished one thing this year, what would you like it to be? “Why can’t we all just get along?” In 1992, Rodney King appealed for calm during a rampage that followed the acquittal of four police officers charged with assaulting him […]
More
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. […]
MoreFarmer Leon Goes Squirrely
My dad’s garden mania shot up when his children-sharecroppers (forced labor until their early teen years) scattered. He doubled the crop when the next-door neighbor gave him permission to plow through the lower end of their backyard. These events forced Dad to double his hours in the garden. My mother never commented, but she developed a blank stare […]
MoreThe Heirloom Dress
My mother was no-nonsense, even when it came to planning weddings. “For God’s sake, don’t book it on religious holidays: Christmas, Easter, and SEC football season. You’ll have no-shows around New Year’s, spring break, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Mother’s Day is sacred, too. Father’s Day? Oh, men get over it.” “Forget […]
More