A desert tigress crouching for prey in the overgrown lawn.
“They created a wasteland and called it peace” – Calgacus
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Each elephant enthusiastically eyed effulgent Easter emu eggs entering ebony Egyptian edifices.
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He asked for another sheet of paper as the molehill of ballots grew on the craft table.
I was on the couch,
She was practicing Chinese,
Mom was on the computer.He handed each of us
A small slip of paper.
“Vote.”On the front, he wrote “For”
He drew a line with a dot on the back.
“Write your name.”
My wife wrote her name.
I wrote “爸” (dad)
The girl added hearts to her name.He called for
(a) “Cottage Cheese” (container)
for a ballot box.We searched the cabinets,
Only found big
Yogurt tubs.
Never mind.
“It’s late!”
Time for bed.䷧䷿
shoot falcons
liberating sheep
skipping over
cushioned walls -
He carefully studied his sister as she drew emoji’s with her friends before wielding his scissors and markers.
He cut two long rectangles,
Colored them blue,
Held them against his face.
😭He cut an oblong shape,
Sharp corners at each end.
Colored it red,
Lips.He cut a square,
Drew a face,
Colored it brown.
???䷏䷿
drink and feast
but no wet heads! -
Dragons dare not dawdle during devilish dances — drunken dervishes desire dramatic delicacies.
The kids caped up and whirled to programmed songs on the keyboard. After she was dragged off to study Chinese, he ran around the house as a ghost. The beanie-veil combo is a fresh innovation in our house.
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He snickered as his sister berated him for ruining today’s game.
Arriving home, I was greeted by Wordle.
The kids snuck off with the iPad.Giggling in the playroom,
They connected to the living room TV.Stop playing with the iPad!
I have to take my shower first.Coming out to play,
He already took four guesses.AUDIO
AUDIO
AUDIO
AUDIO
□□□□□
□□□□□䷚䷧
carry a burden
ride a carriage
invite mischief -
She insisted on showing us how she induced that green pillowcase to don a pair of dark grey socks with black stripes.
She sat on the kitchen tile,
pulled the pillowcase over her legs
put the socks on her feet,
slid out and hopped up,
proudly displaying
a topsy-turvy skirt wearing socks.A few minutes later,
I wandered into the living room.
Two kids wriggling inside
the stretched out skirt.
she looked up, grinning,
“a chrysalis!”I grabbed my phone,
but the older butterfly was
already chasing her brother.
Twirling a chrysalis
over her head,
a lasso.䷤䷩
auspicious woman
children dally
great crossing
elephant laughter -
They embarked upon two suburban safaris to exotic places of prosaic commerce.
We left the world as it shut down.
Three years later, we decided to visit the library.
For a Japanese koto concert
(we lasted one song)Shopped at the friend’s bookstore,
Browsed the stacks,
While we were out, we went shopping.
(our first time with the kids)- Marshalls
- Ranch 99
- 168
- Sprouts
He rode the shopping cart seat,
She scrunched in the basket.
She got out and pushed him,
(he got out and tried to pushed her)Bought my first new pair of shoes in five years.
Picked up staples, veggies and meat.
He called out the name of everything he saw.
(delighted by the mundane cornucopia of produce)
We saw live fish,
looking miserable.
And crab, clams, and lobsters,
(presumably miserable too)Crackers,
Lots of crackers.
And aisles of snacks and candy.
(mama said no!)I ran into an classmate from my old kung fu school.
He recognized me, even with a mask.
We hugged.
(school still going strong)Left for home at 7 pm.
Mama made Mac & Cheese at 9 pm.
Kids fell asleep at 11 pm.
(made it to 12am to close year 43.)(what will 44 bring?)
Woke up to wrap presents
Made pancakes with the kids
They unwrapped my gifts
We started a puzzle
I took a nap
Made birthday noodles
Cleaned the kitchen
We went to Ikea.It’s been forty months,
Since I rushed through for
Utensils and Swedish meatballs.
(exiled from family before the world shut down)The four of us
leisurely meandered
through both floors
(he loved the escalator)They sat on every couch
Before we picked up the pace
To the toys.
(mama let us buy a small stuffie)Downstairs
He rode a shopping cart,
Twice in two days!
(after so many years)We picked through the goods,
Checked out,
Entered the dark.
(two hours after we arrived)He exclaimed
Wow that was fast!
Yes it was.
(all of it)䷎䷦
modest expedition
through neighbors
no disadvantage -
Blake Street Garage Apartment
After college, I moved into a small garage apartment. At $450 per month, it was a steal to have my own place, a 168 square foot studio with a free parking spot in the driveway.
I tried to start a container garden in that driveway. It faced north so nothing survived except onions, but it changed my life one morning by attracting a feral bunny (as I headed out to inquire about an internship at Dwell Magazine). I never saw that little guy again (and Dwell never called back), but the moment of staring deep into the eyes of another creature led to adopting two rabbits and a season of volunteering at the House Rabbit Society.
The interior of this converted single car garage was painted light yellow to maximize the natural light. Even though the window orientations were not ideal, it still had glass in two directions with a window over the kitchenette and a big glass patio door looking into the back yard.
I built custom bookshelves, borrowing a table saw from the Berkeley tool library to with split 2×2’s clamped around PVC pipes. I maximized every cubic inch for my books and my rabbits. It was tight, but there was just enough space to clank out fifty thousand words for a NaNoWriMo T-shirt, clean up on Monday Nights for Irish dancing at the Starry Plough, and assemble portfolios for graduate schools.
Twenty years ago, I drew this top down, single-point perspective as one of the projects in those portfolios.
When I left, I swore I’d return to this city that I loved so dearly.
I’ve visited twice.
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Celestial carabiners clanked across charming cliffs, calling coyly, “Come climb, come climb.”
My parents dropped by our place in the morning to give the kids polished stones from a roadside stand on the way to the Grand Canyon. After they left, the girl sorted the collection before coming inside for breakfast.
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Standing on a chair, he raised his right arm with a weighty buoyant triumph.
Mama cut the ears of corn.
Gave us two pieces each.He pulled out two chopsticks from the drawer,
For himself and his big sister,I inserted the bamboo into the soft cob.
Corn on a stick!He waved his yellow lollipop at me,
I inserted the back of the chopstick into his second piece.He raised the golden barbell and announced,
I’m a strong guy!䷯䷜
to
drink
out of a
clean well
shared
joy