For That Veteran

An unusual sense of foreboding hovered over the gloomy low-ceilinged parking garage. I drove cautiously to the second level before finding an empty spot, and was relieved it faced the outside light. An older grey sedan pulled in on my left moments later, and out popped an equally older, short, wiry man whose wrinkled, weatheredContinue reading “For That Veteran”

Patches of Blue

Storms everywhere crowding meWith spiritual warfare cruelYet beyond great cumulus clouds The sky held patches of blueSome clouds white, others grayDarkness lofty grewYet thunder signs could not blot outVibrant patches of blueBe still my heart, all is well Though pressures fall and risePray, veer from internal storms Look up, still blue’s the skyThroughout the dayContinue reading “Patches of Blue”

Of Dogs and Humans

Recently watching Cesar Millan, infamous “dog whisperer,” brought to mind the simplicity of resolving those fearful, gnarled things within ourselves. Receiving chaotic emotional cues from their owners, fearful, anxious canines remain confused, even aggressive, and uncontrolled until their pack leaders, their masters, overcome their own fears and anxieties in order to lead their dogs intoContinue reading “Of Dogs and Humans”

The Stubborn Stain

The recliner had been ours for twenty-five or thirty years. Like us, it was now showing its wear: drooping stuffing, a spot rubbed through the leather, joints working loose, the back support giving out. Every time my husband plunked down in it, his special chair, I was thankful its frame held firm. Somehow in itsContinue reading “The Stubborn Stain”

Skating Blind

She touched his face, and then again after a spin, as though orienting herself to him as the music started. I was mesmerized by the gracefulness of both these young skaters, he in a dark suit, she in a gossamer short dress. There was an air of innocence in their demeanor, that kind of purityContinue reading “Skating Blind”

Victim or Victory

When reading posts on Facebook (mine included), I find at times a thread of victimhood that raises its hoary head. It knocks on my door of awareness, and breaks my heart for those ensnared, captured in ways perhaps they do not yet recognize. That has certainly been my life’s experience. As the windows of myContinue reading “Victim or Victory”