The southern part of New Jersey is a marshland - salt marshes full of life, mixed in with the highways and concrete and suburban spaces that are the world we see. The marshes are what we don't see. The things that pass by your window as you drive, the areas you can't touch or don't … Continue reading The After
Category: Personal
Setting
I've been in a strange liminal space lately - physically, chronologically. Not entirely within my own life but not outside of it either. I've sought out other transitional spaces as I float here. It was getting cold and windy the day I took these photos. Late afternoon. Cloudy. Eerily quiet except for the wind. Returning … Continue reading Setting
Flower therapy
I've been taken for quite a ride by my kidneys this past month and I've had to accept that I have to stop doing things and rest. The silver lining is that it's allowed me to stop and appreciate the little things around me. The wildflowers I grew all around my yard. The hummingbirds that … Continue reading Flower therapy
“As small as a world…”
I have a chronic illness that impacts various organs - including my liver and kidneys. I fully understood that this was going to get worse, but it caught me off-guard a bit in August when my right kidney went a bit haywire and I needed two surgeries to fix it. Being able to tune out … Continue reading “As small as a world…”
Appetence
Defined as intense desire, strong appetite, a craving or an inclination. Appetence is the story of an awakening, a discovery, and a loss. One of its poems will be published in a literary journal in October. Currently revising the draft for submission. This narrative came out quickly and tore things up along the way. It's … Continue reading Appetence
Personal folklore
I never met one of my sets of grandparents - they both died in the decade before I was born. My grandmother went first, though she was apparently stubborn about it, and the family tradition has it that my grandfather died of a broken heart. His death certificate claims it was kidney failure, but according … Continue reading Personal folklore
Saturation
Saturation is a much more interesting word than one might think. To be so filled that nothing more can be absorbed. To such a full extent that it's no longer necessary or desirable. The purity of a color. In qualitative research (which is part of my day job expertise), there's a phenomenon known as saturation, … Continue reading Saturation
Like a bayou
When I think of revision, for some reason I always imagine a bayou. And I never really thought about why a landscape jumps into my head instead of paper or pens the eye-piercing glare of the computer screen. I think because it's brackish, and there are things that hide and lurk, and it's slow moving. … Continue reading Like a bayou
Spring flowers
Narrative prosthesis
As someone who has a chronic illness that technically qualifies me (by law) as disabled, I think a lot about how much I dislike fighting language - I'm not a fighter or a warrior, bravely battling this disease. If anything, I'm an ally. We have to live together, so we need to get along. Really … Continue reading Narrative prosthesis
Mental Wanderings: Art, Nature, Life 