C a r o l y n D a u g h t e r s

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the … Continue Reading

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, … Continue Reading

Blindly we wasted
Magic moments
Subway singer serenades
Our names a menu selection

The road sign urging
Visits in the butterfly garden
We treated them like loose change
Dispensable, inevitable overflow

From greater fortunes
Street copper left uncollected
No need for rainy day savings
The porcelain pig we found

At the garage sale stands
Empty saving at least the
Temptation to break it open
Now it alone remains whole

~ Michael Van der Linden

When I was little, I sometimes used to slug room to room through the house, then dramatically tell my mother, “I’m boring.” What I meant to say was that I was bored. Poor bored me.

I’ve since come to the conclusion that “boring” and “bored” are the same thing.

I want a snow day. I want to snowshoe through the streets and crack open Bleak House for the zillionth time and upgrade my iPhone and prep business info for my taxes and dust my shelves and scan more photos and clean out my email inbox and flip through a growing stack of Poets … Continue Reading

Street Heart, NYC

Love sometimes wants to do us a great favor: hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.

Your love
Should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,
Only to someone who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket
To protect you.

Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive.

Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.
I wish I … Continue Reading

Matryoshka (Graffiti Girl)

The past few years, I’ve been having a love affair of sorts with graffiti.

Here’s a personal favorite. I snapped this shot in 2010 as I walked along the River Guadalquivir to see AC/DC in concert at the Olympic Stadium on the Isla de La Cartuja, Sevilla, Spain.

The night before, a man from Northern Ireland slipped into my purse a general admission ticket to the 57,000-person sold-out show.

He did so after I suggested he sell the extra ticket or give it away to an AC/DC … Continue Reading

The Bedazzling …

I bedazzled David Sedaris. It’s true. He told me so. In writing no less.

David Sedaris also called me charming. What an insightful man he must be to have instantly honed in on one of my two best qualities. The other quality is modesty. But I’ll only get embarrassed if I overhype my reticence and lack of pretension. I’d much rather talk about my charm.

And don’t be jealous, readers. I’m sure David Sedaris would have liked you all right as well. Or at … Continue Reading

Yesterday I did everything possible to injure myself by attempting to do handstands all over the rec area of my gym. It’s like a kids’ playroom in there. At least when I’m present.

“You need a spotter?” fourteen or so different people asked me.

“Nope. All good here.”

“Are you trying to do a handstand?” the fourteen people asked.

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Cause it kind of looks like you’re trying to do a cartwheel.”

“Handstand.”

“It also kind of looks like a donkey kick.”

“Handstand.”

“Or the worst-executed somersault ever.”

“Would you shut up already?”

It turns out that handstands require balance and upper-body strength. Who knew? Now, my arms are strong, … Continue Reading

My hood

I rocked out so much work yesterday that I should get a prize. Six conference calls, two articles, two detailed outlines, two edited docs, and a lengthy client meeting. And an evening business meeting that turned out to have very little to do with business, a fact I discovered as the guy I met with attempted to ply me with drinks in response to my work-related questions.

Life is anything but boring.

I want to learn how to do a handstand. Right now I only … Continue Reading

At a business networking event the other day, the moderator suggested that everyone at each table introduce themselves. Make a game of it. So I suggested we talk about our shoes.

When I used to teach, I often played the shoe game with my students. It’s sort of complicated. First you talk about your shoes. Then you … No. That’s it. You just talk about your shoes.

Always the schoolmarm, I modeled the exercise. “I’m wearing 4″ brown leather heels with a platform sole and a side zip,” I said. “They are awesome. Not only are they fashion forward, but they’re also … Continue Reading

In a couple weeks, I’m heading to LA to celebrate a friend’s 30th. We’re staying at a swank hotel and hoping to cause no end of trouble. I’m bringing my fancy camera so’s I can capture every damn thing.

Last time I was in LA I was 22. I went with Andy, who I met on Friday, October 9, 1992, in Washington, DC. I was at a Georgetown bar with my good friend Laurie, and I started chatting with a guy who announced his upcoming birthday. It’s October 11, he told me. Mine too, I said.

We high-fived and hugged, driver’s licenses … Continue Reading

I’ve pressed so
far away from
my desire that

if you asked
me what I
want I would,

accepting the harmonious
completion of the
drift, say annihilation,

probably

~ A. R. Ammons