Suprise Me

Revising the editor Limits, rules, restrictions, guidelines, walls, trigger my auto-response of arising fierce Kali-spirit that demands the shaking off of the yoke burdening my shoulders, spitting out the bit between my teeth, severing the ball and chain cutting into my ankle, and pulling the barbed wire from around my throat, to run wildly into… Read More

RURAL MASSACHUSETTS, 1960ish — Over the past year, the girls had shot up… and out. They stuck pink plastic combs into their bobby sock tops and made rude remarks to the junior high girls who had stuffed tissue paper into their bras. Beyond the scent of cologne, deodorant, Clearasil, and cliquish anxiety, the girls were… Read More

My mother was still in a deep depression, too tranqed out on Miltowns to take care of me, much less plan a birthday party. Dad owned a car dealership; worked six days and two nights a week. He cared but just wasn’t there. We had been in the neighborhood 2 1/2 months and I didn’t… Read More

Suburbia and my mother were grooming me for my future occupation of Mom. Read More

Of course I loved this Little Golden Book, whose main character had my name, the way I spelled it at the time. Read More

I was incredibly nervous, never having taught anything, let alone ESL, before. Read More

My mother was insecure in life and insecure in the kitchen. Having me around made her nervous, so I was forbidden to watch. I didn’t learn to cook in her kitchen…a story for a different day. With her limited cooking skills, she cooked the same menu every week: Swiss Steak on Monday (barely edible –… Read More

 Aunt Ruth used to chide me when I complained about being exhausted after chasing my young children around. “In my day,” she said, “we’d put the kids to bed—and then figure out how to save the world!” Saving the world meant throwing herself into the fray: she’d hoist a sign, march and demonstrate in the… Read More

The day I almost wasn't, but almost doesn't count. Read More

You turned down backstage passes, our friends asked? Are you CRAZY? Read More