"Remember to get your loved one something special this Valentine's Day." "Hey, Mister Ad Announcer, what if I don't have anyone?" "Sorry, Valentine's Day isn't meant for single people." "Oh good. So I don't have to celebrate it." "That's not true! Anyone can celebrate the day! What about your students? They deserve a Valentine's Day … Continue reading Pedants and Platitudes: Valentine’s Edition
What is Love?
If you've clicked this post and are of a certain age group, chances are the jaunty rhythm of the Haddaway tune is running through your head right now. Hopefully my question is more intellectually stirring than a pop song making a mournful inquiry into the steadfastness of romantic love. Though it might be less entertaining. … Continue reading What is Love?
A Guide to Self-Preservation*
The key to self-preservation is not to look at his azure eyes or his aquiline nose or his lips--hell, just don't look. Chewing your finger only solves half of the problem. Your mouth might be distracted, but your mind is still engaged. Doodling is rather preoccupying...You drew another heart, didn't you? Damn it, you did! … Continue reading A Guide to Self-Preservation*
Bobby the Sheep
I surveyed my students' glazed expressions as I went over the religion lesson for the day. I had been wracking my brain for weeks trying to find a way to engage my students during the first class of the day. But the early morning hour coupled with difficult material had made what was usually one … Continue reading Bobby the Sheep
Looking in the Mirror
There was a poem or lyric that mentioned looking in the mirror and not recognizing your own face. Matthew never understood that trite saying. Even if one underwent a physical metamorphosis, there would still be some semblance of the person one was before. Regardless of whatever life-altering transformation people might experience, people were innately the … Continue reading Looking in the Mirror
Coffee*
He'san acquiredtaste, like a strong, black coffee: bold and hot, with an acerbic aftertaste, prone to scald if taken in too quickly. The kind of coffee that people pour in copious amounts of sugar and creamer, in the deluded hope of masking the bitterness. Butno amount of sweetness, usually of the mollycoddling and … Continue reading Coffee*
The Only New Year’s Resolution You Need
Welcome to 2019! As we look out on a fresh, new year full of untapped potential, we often find ourselves glancing backward at the year gone by. I will be the first to say quite proudly that my 2018 went remarkably well, and I plan to make my 2019 also a success by following a … Continue reading The Only New Year’s Resolution You Need
Shout Outs and Just Plain Old Shouting
This blog post is not going as I had anticipated, but sometimes you have to follow your muse where it will lead you and not force it into any creative corner. Yesterday I attempted to set up a Twitter account. I say attempted because about 64% through the set up process (according to the helpful indicator), Twitter … Continue reading Shout Outs and Just Plain Old Shouting
Pedants and Platitudes: Christmas Edition
"It wouldn't be Christmas without snow." You heard it here first, Australia and any other place south of the Equator. You can't celebrate Christmas. You are snow-less and Christmas-less. Buh bye. "Christmas is a time to be with family and loved ones." I regret to inform all those children living in orphanages that you can't … Continue reading Pedants and Platitudes: Christmas Edition
Music
She composes a symphony, not with the dots and lines of musical notes but with the dots and lines of letters. The plot is the melody, consistent throughout. Themes pop up at intervals like recurring motifs, reminding the reader of what is at stake... Read the rest of the poem in my anthology Ephemeral Impressions: … Continue reading Music
