Banned Books Week, BooksLeave a comment

bbw #1: thank you, mrs. walker…

kineticprose

It’s National Banned Books Week, a time when my husband notices a little extra rouge in my cheeks, a little extra fire in my tone. To be honest, it takes a lot to get me angry — I’m a pretty laid back lady — but challenge a book’s very existence, along with anyone’s right to read it, and you’re going on my own special sort of list. In honor of my love of the freedom to read whatever I want, I’m going to write a post each day this week about banned books and the people in my life who … Continue reading bbw #1: thank you, mrs. walker…

IdeasLeave a comment

excitingly, nail-bitingly amazing…

kineticprose

Dear Chris “The Duchess” Walton, I saw your picture in the newspaper today. Your nails are incredible. Impossible. I want to write about you at a later date, tuck you away for a future poem. Something tells me you’d be fine with that. I love ekphrasis, you see. And how can I not consider you pure sculpture, art and artist all at once? How can my eye not wander over the incredible lines, wonder over each decision to curve right or left? I hope you don’t mind, but I want to think about the last 18 years of your life. … Continue reading excitingly, nail-bitingly amazing…

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wonderlust…

kineticprose

I started writing a 9-11 post this morning. I have a “where were you?” story like everyone else, but the more I wrote, the more I hated everything about it. So, I stopped. I’ll keep it locked away, thank you very much. I’m not even sure how much of it is true anyway. Instead, today I’m concentrating on the people and the things I love. One of my favorite things in the world is my son’s spirit of discovery…so I tried catching it on film in a way that would let you share in the wonder. I hope it makes … Continue reading wonderlust…

Ideas4 Comments

the faster we are…

kineticprose

…the harder we fall. I hate to admit it, and I really hate slowing down. But it’s true. Even if it takes a concrete feast to remind me once in a while. This morning, I took what was supposed to be a quick run around my neighborhood. About 15 minutes in, I crossed a loose growling dog, who chased me for about a minute while I screamed at the top of my lungs. (Thanks for noticing, neighbors. Keep sleeping in.) I got away just fine, just a bit more out of breath than planned. Ten minutes later, feeling proud at … Continue reading the faster we are…

IdeasLeave a comment

disaster schmisaster…

kineticprose

There’s nothing like a crazy week to make you appreciate your home. On Tuesday, we had a small earthquake, the first I’ve ever experienced. On Thursday and Friday, a fly nest exploded in the window well of my work building, filling my office with dozens of dizzying, biting unwelcome guests. (My final kill record was 32.) And now, Hurricane Irene is on her way. In order to syke her out, I have done nothing to prepare. Even the batteries I bought were the wrong size. Not that I think it matters. We’ve lived without lights before, even — gasp — … Continue reading disaster schmisaster…

Books, NontraditionalLeave a comment

seeing things differently…

kineticprose

I made a little book a while back. It’s about a little girl looking up at a stained glass window from a parking lot, seeing what she thinks is Jesus waving to her, when in fact it’s the window washer moving behind the glass portrait. The book is a “magic book,” so when it’s folded, you can only see a small portion of the whole. You have to pull the thing apart to see the entire picture. I asked some friends to do just that…then color what they saw. Here’s what I got: If you’d like a copy, let me … Continue reading seeing things differently…

Ideas4 Comments

the sting of guilt…

kineticprose

Those who know me well know I’m a big old hippie. I make new stuff out of old stuff. I love to recycle, compost and grow things. And because I grew up barefooted on a farm, I’ve never minded when ants and other creatures wandered into the human realm. I figure they have as much right to be here as you and I do. That’s why I’m still a bit upset about Friday. On Friday, I killed a bug. It wasn’t just any bug, but a nearly two-inch long cicada killer wasp. (Such a beautiful insect!) It was loudly buzzing … Continue reading the sting of guilt…

Ideas2 Comments

i want you to want to…

kineticprose

make art and poetry with me. I also want you to do it with each other…on my blog. I’ve realized lately that I’m a big meddler, artswise, and if I catch a hint that you wish you were writing/painting/taking photographs more…I’m gonna latch on, and try to make it so. I just can’t help myself. It’s part of who I am, as recently proved by an online personality test my co-workers and I took. So, there. This is a roundabout way of telling you that I hope you’ll submit something to The Light Ekphrastic, my quarterly online journal. If you … Continue reading i want you to want to…

Growing & Eating, IdeasLeave a comment

borschty-borscht borscht…

kineticprose

There’s something you should know: I love beets. Which means, of course, that I also love beet-y, beefy, vinegar-y borscht. Here’s the borscht I made this morning: Beets remind me of so many things I love…many of them literary. Tom Robbins, for one, and his Bohemian King Alobar, in Jitterbug Perfume. Diane Ackerman’s lucious A Natural History of the Senses. There’s even a wonderful point in Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (the book!!) where borscht plays an important role for Norah’s character development. Beets add an earthy insistence to life; they feel like blood, like dirt, they make you think. … Continue reading borschty-borscht borscht…

IdeasLeave a comment

good guy with gun…

kineticprose

One of the things I most love about vacation is having time to read. Over the last few years, my tastes in reading material have expanded to include crime thrillers — the sort you might find on a dime store rack. And you know what? This English major isn’t ashamed at all. Give me a Michael Connelly thriller, or a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child, and I’m happy. Just recently I picked up “Pronto” by Elmore Leonard because I love how Timothy Olyphant portrays his cowboy hat-wearing marshal Raylan Givens on FX’s “Justified.” I have to say, it’s all … Continue reading good guy with gun…