Yesterday was Father's Day, but amidst all our parenting duties, neither I nor Jeff had much time to reflect on fatherhood. As with all jobs done well, if you are a good father you may be much too busy to realize it. Mary Karr wrote the poem "Bayou" about her deceased father and the ties … Continue reading On Fathers
Category: Writing life
Running on Deer Time
Yesterday we spent part of the day at the beautiful - and quite deserted - Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington, Virginia. We sat for a while in the Indian Garden, quiet, just taking it all in - when in my peripheral vision I saw a golden creature that I first thought was a large … Continue reading Running on Deer Time
Poems for the Fallen Soldier
Today is Memorial Day, and in D.C. and the surrounding neighborhoods, we're visited by groups of motorcyclists (Rolling Thunder) coming to honor fallen soldiers and veterans of the Vietnam War. People crowd on the highway overpasses with signs and flags, cheering on these men and women as they pass. My father fought in World War … Continue reading Poems for the Fallen Soldier
The hilarity of upside-down maps
Today has been another bleak, rainy Monday, accompanied by oppressive humidity. The one bright spot: I was driving this morning with my two-year-old, doing errands, when a vibrant laughter rang from the back seat. I peeked back to see her holding a street map upside down, giggling in that unbounded two-year-old way. The laughter continued … Continue reading The hilarity of upside-down maps
Poems about Motherhood
The miracle of poems about motherhood is that they were written at all, given the time pressures of parenting! Poems that are so personal can also slip easily into sentimentality. Ideally these poems show us the unique details of the mother/child relationship, but also present more universal truths. Here are excerpts from a few of … Continue reading Poems about Motherhood
Elizabeth Bishop, on the moon
Some of the most beautiful poetic lines about the moon - which we witnessed in "Supermoon" glory last Saturday night - were written by Elizabeth Bishop. Here, I share a few of my favorites: From "Insomnia:" The moon in the bureau mirror looks out a million miles (and perhaps with pride, at herself, but she … Continue reading Elizabeth Bishop, on the moon
Art as Inspiration
On Saturday night, I went to an "Art Crawl" at the Columbia Pike Artists Studios near Washington D.C. My artist friend Marina Di Carlo recently set up shop there, and I bought one of her pieces, "Satellites," that I'd been coveting on her website. It's a very modern piece, but the gold tones and intricate … Continue reading Art as Inspiration
Reading for a rainy day
Today, it seems that our balmy spring is gone. It's rainy and grey, and resembles a normal Washington April, which we had thus far avoided. This morning, I turned up the heat and pulled out some poetry books to leaf through on the couch, but my daughter kept pulling them from my hands and placing … Continue reading Reading for a rainy day
Returning to Blacksburg
Today is the five-year anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech that claimed thirty-two innocent lives. I was an English major at Virginia Tech back in the nineties, so Blacksburg is a place full of memories for me. Like many other alumni, I mourn the loss of those lives, and the loss of innocence that … Continue reading Returning to Blacksburg
I met Margaret Atwood! And just now have the presence of mind to write about it…
At the AWP conference in Chicago last month, I was fortunate enough to be confused about the location of the shuttle bus that ferried writers from one hotel to another. I waited for about twenty minutes in front of the Hilton, when a large black car pulled up. A moment later, Margaret Atwood stepped out … Continue reading I met Margaret Atwood! And just now have the presence of mind to write about it…
Between Gods 