The Surgeon General has declared the state of loneliness a national health issue. I read about this in my various news sources, and while I do believe he is absolutely correct, I haven’t felt very much aware of its applicability to me. After all, I have a loyal husband of sixty years, a caring son and his wife, three special grandsons, a sister and a niece, many wonderful friends, a loving black lab, an ongoing and fulfilling teaching and writing career.
Read moreSTUFF
I’m at a writing residency, struggling with what to write next—blog post, another poem? Just now I walked over to the kitchen, where we go to pick up our box lunches. I usually come back to my studio to eat so as not to be distracted from what I’m working on by the desire to chat, as there are always fellows (that’s what we are called here) there, but today I sat down and ate my tofu salad with A and C, badly needing the break of human connection.
Read moreTHE GLASS IS ALREADY BROKEN
I’ve been waiting to write all of you about my new full-length collection of poems, The Glass Is Already Broken, until the publisher got the cover colors corrected. Three books later, that has not happened yet. The cover art by my dear friend Jarrod Beck keeps being reproduced in an orange-y tone rather than the clear yellow of the original; the lettering comes through as dark brown rather than black.
Read moreSECOND SHOT
I got it, a week ago now. This time, my arm isn’t even sore. After the first one, I woke up two days later, with a piercing headache, nausea, and a fatigue so overwhelming that I spent the afternoon napping and went to bed at 7:30, my body so leaden it was hard even to move. The next day, I was totally fine.
On our daily walks, we meet neighbors with whom all conversation centers around “the shot.”
“When are you getting yours?”
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