Personal Essays

September 7, 2017, is my dad’s 77th birthday. He wanted to make it this far, but he didn’t. My dad died on April 10th. My dad is dead. Words hard to write. Missing someone I can never see again is a lonely ache in my chest. Thinking of him brings an image of him to…

Seated in the shade of a lone tree on a mountain meadow, I watch as dozens of dragonflies dot the landscape. Their miniscule forms put into perspective the tall, dry grasses and distant green ridgelines disappearing into blue. I am patiently resting while blissfully letting my hot, sweaty head ease its pulsing, paying close attention…

“I Am Not I” By Juan Ramón Jiménez Translated by Robert Bly I am not I. I am this one walking beside me whom I do not see, whom at times I manage to visit, and whom at other times I forget; who remains calm and silent while I talk, and forgives, gently, when I…