Poetry

I have visited the Bronte homesteadin Haworth England many times, withclasses and with my daughters andhave seen the portrait on the landingof the famous Bronte sisters whosurround a painted-out blob in themiddle of the circular frame. DidBranwell Bronte paint himself out?Or a sister? Or someone later? Iwonder how many family histories,not so well known have […]

A friend helping clean my kitchenbrought me resting on her palmsa long rusty flat item. I said“Doesn’t everyone keep a bayonet in their pantry?”About that weapon: My dad pickedit up in France 1924 from Belleau Wood where was the worst carnage.The trenches now overgrown with weeds. Thousands killed here –They had to clamber over the slainto fire, though […]

When I was small my mom would lie on the couch on  Sunday afternoon with a cloth over her eyes and listen to the symphony on the radio. This  made me uneasy: mothers  shouldn’t lie down with their eyes closed. The domestic ship might run aground with no one at the tiller and who, who […]

I lived near Oxford for a yearAnd once bicycled the nearbycountryside with a neighbor. We cycled past a country churchyard and Maggie said, “The TreacleWell is in there” so we parkedour bikes and went through thelychgate to find it. The wellwas unobtrusive. Maggie stoodby the rim and I took her picture. You can’t very wellphotograph a well. […]

I sought and found a certain grave in North Oxford.  J.R.R. Tolkien’s headstone read simply “Beren” and his wife’s read “Luthien.” I found a pair of  those special dice some of you will know well,  hidden in the leaves, a gift from another pilgrim.  2026 Jacqueline Jackson

I am alas, losing some memory, agingcan cause this sometimes! I am nowtrying to remember the people I can’t remember.Hmm…..who did you say you were again? 2026 Jacqueline Jackson

My student, married to a vet, told this story: A woman  entrusted her precious cat to our clinic. The cat promptly  got loose and disappeared.  For two weeks we searched; then the woman was due back. I ordered my husband to meet  her but he vanished to far off locales. I dreaded the moment  when […]

My sister gave violin lessonsHer studio was her home nearour dairy. When her own daughterhad a scheduled lesson she had toput on hat, coat, and boots, go outthe back door, come around andknock on the front door, and belet in for her lesson – just like allthe other students she had! 2026 Jacqueline Jackson

At a country crossroads pub far far from our fair city the long bar was marked with a pattern of grids. Patrons bet on squares. When all were claimed a chicken was released onto an overhead mesh. She picked her way around until the inevitable happened and a plop fell on the grid below. The […]

Sows produce huge litters The runt pig is often too weak to force its way amongst its jostling siblings to reach a tit Without milk, the runt perishes Sometimes though the runt is brought into the Big House and kept warm in a box behind grandma’s wood stove. Once, my sister Pat was sleeping in […]

Dear kids, the sabbatical is going okay except this late blizzard has us all snowed in. I feed the birds every day but the feeder is empty by noon. You can’t see the ground with the pile up of hungry juncos. There are five pheasants nearby –  I need to find their spot to leave […]

My sister Pat, maybe 7, woke early and decided to have an adventure She took some apples, set out  along the shore path, cut across a field, passed some cows, ate an apple, continued on until she had eaten all her apples, judged the long day was over, others would worry, and decided that  running […]