“There’s no easy way to say this. It’s gone. It’s all gone.” The words of the fireman that early April morning could barely be heard above the roar of the flames, the sirens of fire trucks still arriving, the crackle of burning timbers as sparks rose high into the night sky. The fisherman statue that […]
Letter: Just Around the Bend
We have it mounted on the wall of our home to remind us. We were on our way to church that morning and saw the rays of the sun piercing through from the heavens above, lingering wisps of clouds hovering over the river, the wider, calmer, deeper water giving way to the ripples of the […]
Letter: Slay the Dragon
The label read “doesn’t help you slay the dragons per se, but the vitamin c does help you slay, in general.” The problem was this particular bottle appeared to be having an off day. He was a bit cockeyed, his cap tilted to the side, perhaps stifling a yawn as if not ready to get […]
Letter: The Question Has Been Answered
On this day, one year ago, I wondered – and wrote about – the old rocking chair. Would someone sit there again or would it be forever empty? Would gentle protests from the creaking old rocking chair be heard once more? Would the face of the one rocking to and fro, to and fro, in […]
Letter: Observe Well the Birds
Along the shore they were gathered, and, as we slowly approached, they waded into the water, wondering perhaps at our intentions. With perhaps a wary eye, they paddled away then, one flapping its wings furiously in takeoff, the others gathering speed on the water, disturbing its surface in the early morning stillness, creating rivulets in […]
Letter: Transformation
Very early in the morning – our fingers numb from the frigid air, vapors of our breath hanging as if frozen before our unfeeling faces – we were drawn irresistibly to stand immobile, not because we’d been transformed into ice sculptures but because eminent, and conspicuous and glorious was the mountain. From inky blackness, the […]
Letter: The Frog Who Became King
The box labeled “Live Animals” was open. Whoever – and whatever – had been in there was gone, which was a scary thought. Giant green anaconda? Titanoboa cerrejonensis? Vasuki Indicus? Was a slithering, suffocating, snaking, long, limbless reptile with no eyelids and mere slits for eyes watching them from somewhere nearby? Or slumbering? Or silently […]
Letter: When You’re Given a Second Chance at Love
When you’ve lost the one you thought you never would, you may find yourself going about your days wistfully watching couples strolling hand-in-hand, laughing, and smiling and posing for selfies. Or you see them in church, snuggling close, one arm around the other, occasionally one laying their head on the shoulder of the other all […]
Letter: We Chased the Moon, and Caught the Sun
At first, she thought someone was shining a flashlight in the window. Turns out it was the moon. Though it was 3 a.m. she shook me awake believing the view across the water was too spectacular not to share. She was right. We embraced and watched in the silence commanded by the scene, and though […]