My intern Max delivers a lesson today to 9th graders in a unit study of Elie Wiesel’s Night. Today, he’s asking them to think, write, and speak about indifference. My sixth period, usually rambunctious, squirrely, silly, noisy, rises to the occasion today with seriousness, sincerity, and hope. Max, my intern, asks, What’s our obligation towardContinue reading “#336: Kids These Days”
Tag Archives: NaPoWriMo
#335: CPR Anytime!
How many times have you had the urge to do CPR in your home? Now you can do CPR anytime you want! Perfect for dinner parties, summer pool get-togethers, birthday bashes, and holiday festivities with friends and family, any occasion during which some unfortunate soul might keel over. Fun for all ages. Get a kickContinue reading “#335: CPR Anytime!”
#334: Quarter Poetry Final
I don’t know what any of this means. Here’s a reference to a poem I don’t understand. I’m quoting now a line from a poem I don’t understand. Here’s a reference to another poem. I’m quoting the poem now. Look, I’ve cited the poem’s title and the name of the poet and the line numbersContinue reading “#334: Quarter Poetry Final”
#333: Persona Non Grata
I sit here in your classroom and I am barely alive. I cannot keep awake. I fall off every few seconds and just hope no one notices. Mostly, no one notices. I could probably put my head down on my desk and drift away. Some teachers might gently coax me awake, others might startle meContinue reading “#333: Persona Non Grata”
#332: An Accessory to Murder
Not usually one for jewelry, when she did the deed she was wearing a lovely bracelet her ex-boyfriend had given her one night after a concert that was so debauched that even as they proceeded down the walkway after leaving early they could hear the audience’s booze. They went back to his place where theyContinue reading “#332: An Accessory to Murder”
#331: The Darkness Around Us Is Deep
At lunch today with my brother, he brings up the mystery of Uncle Ray. My dad’s brother, decades ago now, just vanished without a word, it seems. Later, his car was found at the bottom of the Willamette river. Like other dark family stories, his story was never fully told or understood. He was theContinue reading “#331: The Darkness Around Us Is Deep”
#330: The Dullards
“Some people you meet are so dull that you always remember their names.” –William Stafford Are you uninteresting or stupid? I love you. You are like the black hole photographed for the first time in human history, or an undiscovered country from whose bourn blah blah no traveler returns blah blah. You fascinate, primarilyContinue reading “#330: The Dullards”
#329: A Long Way (an Oranges Poem)
I live in a house a quarter of a mile from the house I grew up in. For twenty years I lived in a house 2 or 3 miles from the house I grew up in. That felt like a long way. I was young and my view of the world, even my viewContinue reading “#329: A Long Way (an Oranges Poem)”
#328: This is For the Birds
When she was exasperated, my mother would say, for crying in a bucket, a variation of for crying out loud, which she would also say sometimes. Or, for Pete’s sake. She never said for Fuck’s sake, or Jesus on a stick, because she would have considered them obscene, and if my mother was anything, sheContinue reading “#328: This is For the Birds”
#327: Things That Are No Fun, A to Z.
Automobile payments. Assholes. Bladder infections. Bad bourbon. Cancer, all kinds. C-sections. Car crashes. Dentist appointments. Death of Dads, Moms, and Dogs. Evil people. Erectile dysfunction. Fallopian tube removal. Gangrene. Gingivitis. Grading papers. Hangovers. Head wounds. Indecisiveness. Idiocy. Jail, I’m told. Ketchup stains. Kleptocracies. Leeches. Motormouths. Munchausen by Proxy. Nut allergies. Ovary removal. Prostate exams. QueryContinue reading “#327: Things That Are No Fun, A to Z.”
michael jarmer 