Words in the Landscape

Love I

He worried about not having enough. He fretted over having too much. With one he could lose his home; with the other, he would lose his soul. In this lifelong struggle betwixt heart and mind, his heart won. He never…

He knows exactly what his tattoos reveal. He sees how people avoid him in the store aisles. The monochromatic boldness and single-dot work scream prison art. He just wants to not frighten others. So, he got a small rescue dog…

A pastor and an anti-war activist for his lifetime, he lifted up the beauty of lives in need of peace. His son, a bartender, was his strongest supporter. They often joked that they did the same work: one with matters…

Eyes barely open, his hair spiked like Einstein, he stumbles into the kitchen at 6:30 Sunday morning, this night owl who loves his sleep. “Do you want coffee?” he mumbles. I do. He measures, pours, pushes the blue start button,…

Will you promise me something? What’s that? When I die, if you must throw a memorial service, don’t give me a glowing eulogy. You want me to say how annoying you were? Yes. List my worst traits. Ok. That shouldn’t…

In her recurring childhood nightmare, she jumped over houses, tractors, and creeks. On a continually-upward trajectory, fearful of gravity kicking in, she always awoke before falling. When others scolded, “Get your head out of the clouds,” her mother told her,…

How can we make things right? I ask. By not giving up. By taking breaks. What do you mean? I cry. They are disappearing people! Bake a peach cobbler. Share it with your friends. Laugh! How dare we laugh while…

Are you saved, sir? From what? Not from … for. Then for what? Heaven, sir. Have you sold your possessions and given the proceeds to the poor? Do you care for the widows, orphans, and foreigners? What? That’s what Jesus…

Remember those childhood ditties we sang? Nope. Yeah, you know the ones. Those jump rope songs, slapsies poetry, silly rhymes that made us laugh until we peed in our pants? Sorry, I don’t remember. My favorite was this: Little birdie…