In regard to 2021
In regard to 2021, I’m mostly looking toward its months with hope. I hope for surprises. I hope to be surprised in 2021. That’s it. That’s…
Being okay
“Do I contradict myself?Very well then I contradict myself,(I am large, I contain multitudes.)” ― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass My mom wore the pastel purple scarf I…
A few instances of not understanding
I ordered a new bed a few weeks ago. Before I ordered it, I listened and tried to help my husband as he talked about his…
Unpack the totes
The wind whipped through the street this morning. It persuaded green leaves to leave their lovely aspen tree home and talked down branches. The gusts ushered…
Waiting: a fact of creation
I was standing with my mom, her arms wrapped around me, as we ducked under a tree away from the pea-sized sudden hail that threatened to…
Being loved well
Near the end of my wedding reception, I was walking away from the stage towards the back of the room. It was like most wedding receptions;…
Envy when we don’t know what we want
An illustration of geese makes me slow my haphazard flipping. On the next page, the italicized words are what make me park: “May I love those…
Not so obvious beauty
Her face was redder than mine. More wrinkly too. She was older, that’s why. I probably noticed it only because in recent months I’ve been watching…
Going fast, narrow lens, listening
I locked the keys in my car a few weeks ago in the grocery store parking lot. It was especially unfortunate because I don’t know how…
With our whole body
In the letters I wrote this week, I felt an awareness of the whole body. I wrote letters to mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, aunts,…
ALEXIS SWENSON 