Some years ago, author Barry Lopez was exploring an Aboriginal settlement called Willowra in Australia’s Northern Territory. On one day, what he would come to describe as a day of illumination, he came to understand something about his life. “The experience delivered me into the central project of my adult life as a writer, which…

Yesterday, Lulu led us to the beach on our walk. It was the first weekend beaches were re-opened to more than just exercising, and the pent-up demand for beach activity was evident. We got to the part where the road becomes a trail alongside a stream. Ever since a couple monk seals had been reportedly…

The day started gray and quiet. The sun soon chased away the gray, but the quiet remained. In fact, it was too quiet. I walked to the edge of the lanai where I could see the bush with the shama nest. I watched for entering and exiting parents but saw none. I couldn’t hear anything,…

In truth, my life hasn’t been too inconvenienced by COVID-19. Sure, I canceled plans to go see my Dad in Missouri. Sure, I’m working from home–but I am working. Today, there were a few work-related things that would have been easier to handle if we weren’t sheltering at home. But, really, nothing insurmountable in the…

I’m reading one poem a day. That’s how I read poetry. Otherwise, if I read poems back to back in one sitting, they all run together, and I don’t remember a single one. I wish I could eat my guilty pleasures that way. But with doughnuts, I have no discipline. Potato chips? Same. So, I’m…