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The Evolution of Spring
I get drunk on trees On bare branches strung together Beautifully laced Tiny buds greenly sugaring the sky And the starburst of magnolias...
Barbara Wimsatt
Elizabeth Castronovo 1962-2022
My sister Elizabeth was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) in August 2000, two months after her 38th birthday. Married and...
Linda Castronovo
Applause
walking on dead leaves blood reds, skin tints, old fool's gold soles on souls, clapping Hakuin Ekaku’s well-known koan: “Two hands clap...
Jane McPhetres Johnson
A Call to Arms:
Aventuras en Las Sierras Guadarramas In the fall of 1971, at the outset of my junior year abroad as a student at Smith College, I had an...
Stephanie Shafran
Without Words
We walk without words through the near pasture where Monarchs flit above flowers, Larks build grass houses, an old birch tree towers....
Mycelia C.
31 Tips for the Newly Diagnosed
1 - Picture yourself extremely old, and very happy. 2 - Sleep. Sleep some more. 3 - Your body is the boss. Listen up. 4 - Sugar is...
Elizabeth Castronovo
The Redemptive Power of Sunsets
I don’t have a clear view of sunsets from my house but on mid-summer evenings I can see a faint rosy glow, the edge of the sunset,...
Lynn Bechtel
Words
There are words written inside of me, that are written already in the wide open sky. They seem to disappear like wispy clouds or like...
Dorothy Riehm
What You Can Do
You can put feathers in your hair. You can put shells in a glass jar to sit on the windowsill. You can collect rocks from holy places....
Madlynn Haber
A Lasting Chore
The booth seats in the cafe haven’t changed. Just like before, the tufted, faux-leather upholstery smells of spoiled milk. Fifteen years...
George Lancaster
The Other Side
Will it hurt much? she asks It’s a few drops by mouth, mom. It won’t hurt I’m ready She opens her mouth like a baby bird We hold hands,...
Linda Castronovo
Contradiction
My heart is like any other, a strong and persistent muscle, doing its job, keeping the hot red stuff of life in motion. Mine is not among...
Erin Ervin
Presence
Open your awareness to each day Let morning light shine in your eyes and grey clouds ease your gaze Take in the sounds around you...
Carla Manene Cooke
Brava, Clarica
The amount of time I spent online looking for apartments was absurd. It was so expensive to live in that city, especially with my costly...
Nancy Saporta Sternbach
Looking for the Pink House
Ocean City, New Jersey (After Richard Blanco poem) There should be nothing here I don’t remember… The pink house with pine paneling and a...
Celia Jeffries
Valiant Pup
Our mini-schnoodle Carly is seven pounds of pure devotion. She greets (or threatens, depending on your perspective) all visitors to our...
Elizabeth Castronovo
Clarity
He did not think her pain was romantic. He thought it indulgent, the result of her having too much money, a life of comfort, so she had...
Jane Mortifee
Kwan Yin
I hadn't attended the yoga studio near my home in years. My personal practice had devolved into a series of standing and balancing...
Linda Castronovo
Coming Clean
The Laundromat was packed. I stuffed my clothes into an oversized washer, added detergent and pushed in a dozen quarters. Seeking...
Elizabeth Castronovo
Judgement
I escape into the sanctuary of soft light and quiet breathing. I unroll my mat and take a seat as Lena invites us to close our eyes and...
Linda Castronovo
Eggs
You’re an egg, and the egg doctor discovers that the yolk isn’t quite right. So he drips a toxic liquid through a tiny pin-hole in your...
Elizabeth Castronovo
Astronomy
In the middle of January, Mr. Brock launches an Astronomy unit. He is young and freckled with a mop of red hair that flops into his face...
Linda Castronovo
Emotional Waves
In August 2000, I couldn't have told you when I was last sick. Vegetarian for 15 years, training rides every morning, lunch hour runs,...
Elizabeth Castronovo
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