Discovering the Why

My short essay “Discovering the Why” has been selected for social media publication with Wildfire Magazine’s Family April/May 2024 issue. I’m so grateful to have discovered Wildfire almost three years ago through a friend in a virtual AYA cancer support group. At the time, I was wrapping up cancer treatment and longing for a communityContinue reading “Discovering the Why”

Taproots

Burrowed underthe surface,secreted shadowsthat swirl sandand flooded landwith God’s hand.I’ll masquerade as a poeta little longer,learning to findmyself beneath my words, expose my owntaproots. Shortly into remission from stage three cancer, I was joking with my primary care physician: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?” “Well,” she said, surprisingly hesitant. “It makes youContinue reading “Taproots”

Hot Chocolate’s Embrace

We coast down hills fluffy with nature’s reminiscence. Rays ofsun scramble acrossthe tree’s fragilelimbs. Light scatters taperedshadows on our hands andfaces despite the frigid air.Warm mugs of cocoainvigorate ussend a soothing humfrom the first, rich sipto the final dregs. I wrote this poem for the W3 prompt from the Skeptic’s Kaddish. Despite the cold weatherContinue reading “Hot Chocolate’s Embrace”

The Character of a Year

embrace small momentsweave them into memoriesa shawl of comfortbest worn in times of trialthe armor of endurance How do you characterize an entire year? One year holds so many ups and downs, tribulations and triumphs. I think we all did this with 2020, though; nobody says, “Oh, yeah, good ol’ 2020: best year ever!” IContinue reading “The Character of a Year”

Nontraditional NaNoWriMo Advice

At the end of October, I attended an asynchronous virtual writing conference from The Manuscript Academy. I knew that I’d been neglecting my writing and that I needed something akin to a giant writerly magnet to pull me back into that regular writing habit. It’s so tough, though! I was talking to a mom friendContinue reading “Nontraditional NaNoWriMo Advice”

Turtle’s Reverie

stopping for a breath the world set atop our back bowing like branches bathed in filtered mellow light sifting silent rivulet This week’s Wea’ve Written Weekly prompt from the Skeptic’s Kaddish comes from Lesley, who asks us to do the following: This weekend, we spent some time at my grandmother’s cabin, which is a coupleContinue reading “Turtle’s Reverie”

Unbroken awe

pour unbridled love for sun and sky, for earth and flying ducks and chiseled rocks, for friends whose hearts spill stories and spell a place for you always, for a moon that glistens overhead, soothing lost and unknown under a shared glow that bridges hope with all we know in our unbroken awe Though todayContinue reading “Unbroken awe”

Sunset Dance

evergreen sunset painting lessons on flawed palms tempered emotions guiding moments from my past softly teaching me to dance I’ve been thinking a lot about how we choose to spend our time or how we prioritize our time. A friend who recently returned from visiting family in India said that in some parts of theContinue reading “Sunset Dance”

winter stillness

nature’s sedative the crisp rime that brines stillness ice that pricks with sound like a deer’s ears to footsteps remnants of tranquility This week has been another frigid one! Driving to work yesterday, I watched the thermometer plummet all the to -26 degrees Fahrenheit before creeping back up to hover around -16 when I arrivedContinue reading “winter stillness”

Endothermic

walking winter’s lane leaving sloggy footprints pressing face to windowpane breathing out our thumbprints erasing messages we’ve laid story’s momentary imprint tapping the earth’s veins secrets sparkle and glisten It’s still cold, but perhaps my poem can invoke warmth? Christmas season reminds me of family and memories, probably because there are so many traditions associatedContinue reading “Endothermic”