First of all, I’m embarrassed that I took the bait, hook, line, and sinker, in the sidebar list of stories “trending” on the Mighty Social Network; secondly, I’m ashamed I clicked on this particular subject matter, an author I am only nominally interested in–an author for which only in the very most minimal way couldContinue reading “#72: Potter Author Trending”
Category Archives: Poetry
#71: The Slippery Preposition
A friend of mine posted this quote from a guy named Karl Pilkington: “We’ve had the stone age, and we’ve had the iron age, now we’re in the pissing about stage.” I liked it, both literally and figuratively. But it got me thinking about how I was supposed to read that lovely preposition. When IContinue reading “#71: The Slippery Preposition”
#70: Chicken Cordon-Bleu Road Kill
Chicken Cordon-Bleu Road Kill On the way to work I lost my lunch. I was bicycling, and, as the result of some user-error, I suspect, some packing mishap, my lunch went flying out of my pannier and into the middle of the road. I had packed Chicken Cordon-Bleu, a beautiful and abundant serving from aContinue reading “#70: Chicken Cordon-Bleu Road Kill”
#69: Screen Dilemma (Left To His Devices)
Screen Dilemma (Left To His Devices) If the boy were left to his own devices he would be playing a video game or streaming some show on the damn iPad all day long. The bad news is that sometimes he is left to his own devices and I agonize about my shitty parenting. Sometimes IContinue reading “#69: Screen Dilemma (Left To His Devices)”
#66: The American English Teacher Doesn’t Want His Student To See Him Using Facebook
So, the student stops by the house of his English teacher to pick up a younger member of his family who’s taking music lessons from the English teacher’s wife, and he comes into the study to say hello and the English teacher minimizes his Facebook page so that the student doesn’t know that this isContinue reading “#66: The American English Teacher Doesn’t Want His Student To See Him Using Facebook”
#65: Quality of Life
Quality of Life The story goes that my parents at one point made official a “do not resuscitate” order in the event of some cataclysmic approach of eternal darkness–and then, at some later point they changed their minds, in order, I can only guess, to live as long as they could live. That cataclysmic eventContinue reading “#65: Quality of Life”
#64: Black Friday
I Well, it’s darker. Yesterday the skies were blue and clear and today there’s a cold cloud cover and there’s rumor of snow. I’ll believe it when I see it, and sometimes I wonder if we will ever see snow here in the valley of the Willamette again, what with the warming. What a strangeContinue reading “#64: Black Friday”
#63: Pilgrims at the Table
Pilgrims at the Table I understand that on the first Thanksgiving there was no meal between Pilgrims and Indians, there was no peaceful gathering around a turkey or anything in particular having to do with corn, but rather, John Winthrop’s declaration of a “day of thanksgiving” when he received the news that 700 Pequot IndiansContinue reading “#63: Pilgrims at the Table”
#62: Leaves
Leaves I love the trees but hate the leaves. Each fall the oaks bury us several times over. You see that big pile surrounded by mostly green grass? In a week there will be no green grass; in a day, perhaps, if there’s a wind, there will be no green grass and the process willContinue reading “#62: Leaves”
#61: The American English Teacher Makes An Epic Gaffe While Trying To Be Inclusive
He’s teaching a poem during the study of 17th century American literature by Sor Juana Inéz de la Cruz, a brilliant poet, Catholic nun, living in what was then called New Spain, and crafting these beautiful poems about the power of intellect and about surviving a broken heart. He’s teaching one of those poems, yes,Continue reading “#61: The American English Teacher Makes An Epic Gaffe While Trying To Be Inclusive”
michael jarmer 