Another day of self-isolating
I am bunkered in my home now, going out less, at least most days. Even my son, who lives with me, keep our distance from one another, at his request.…
Mrs. Dalloway and I
I’m reading Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, again. I am always fascinated at how she shifts from the consciousness of one character to another, sometimes in mid-sentence. We’re introduced to…
A meditation on the limits of memory
Let me begin with an attempt at a thought experiment. I try to remember the pain the rear passenger door of my father’s green 1949 Mercury sedan inflicted upon me…
Death and the Artist
The real world is simply too terrible to admit. It tells man that he is a small trembling animal who will someday decay and die. Culture changes all of this,…
My Rape Story (Warning: May Trigger Sexual Assault Victims – Not Appropriate for under 18 years of Age)
Originally published at Medium on August 30, 2018. On February 13, 2015, I stepped out from behind my online moniker in a post at Daily Kos (republished at Caucus99). Besides…
Clara’s Miracle
Clara sat in an aisle seat at the performance hall of the Hochstein School of Music and Dance, smiling at us, holding her sheet music, because she would lead off…
What Do People Want When They Say I Want My Country Back?
(An earlier version of this post was published at Daily Kos on March 29, 2015) How often have I heard or seen this phrase, “I want my country back,” used…
Why Tara Birch?
The Story of How I Became Tara Birch For over sixteen years, I’ve used the pseudonym Tara Birch when I posted my poetry and fiction online. I often stated Tara…