Roe & the “Domestic Supply of Infants”

Allow me to introduce myself - I'm a member of the Domestic Supply of Infants, Texas Class of '63. Exactly 59 years ago today my natural mother, who nurtured me in her womb for 9 months, crying every day over the impending loss of her baby, gave birth to me. And I was taken from…

Feral Eyes and Stillness

Here's a secret, from me to you. Sometimes, Something happens. A conflict. An argument. A situation. And it's just too much. There is a snap, Like a rubber band that's been Stretched far, far, Then suddenly released. Everything goes quiet in my mind. Silence fills me, And a preturnatural stillness. I feel feral, Like a…

Solace in Amber

What once was, is, and always will be... The old woman lay on her bed of sheepskins in front of her hearth, a strand of amber beads cradled in her hand, others laying in front of her. She fingered the beads, one by one, slowly, lovingly. They were of all colors, from a deep, rich,…

Shattering Climate Change Denial

Sitting on my bed, I cried inconsolably. It was ugly crying, so violent I was gasping for breath, unable to stop my sobbing. Snot poured out of my nose and onto the pile of tissues beside me. I hadn't cried like this in... years? At least. Decades? Maybe. Probably. Maybe I can learn from this,…

Finally Finding Family

I was told a pretty story, growing up. It went like this... I was given up for adoption at birth. My birth mother was 19, and already had a 3 year old boy. She was a navy brat, living with her parents. Her mother, my birth grandmother, was sick with vaguely described "women's issues." She…

On Mourning

I was doing it wrong, and I knew it. It was one year ago today, my mom had just died, but I wasn't crying. "Something's wrong with me," I confided, oh so quietly, to those closest to me, a week later. They assured me there was no right way, no wrong way, to grieve. That…