my 2-year old, every night, soothes himself to sleep by recounting the objects and events that have made an impression on his day… “goodnight motorcycle” “goodnight bumble bee” “goodnight thunder” “goodnight lawn-mower” (If you haven’t…
Browsing Category on fear
pilgrimage of poem & music; day 1 in the Dolpa: dilation
We wake and jostle our belongings together in haste; today, as we have long planned, we will begin our journey into the Dolpa. Sacks stuffed, teeth brushed, packs on back, we descend the steep incline…
sweating, seeping, Senegal
No peanuts are served on my flight from Paris to Dakar. But as I pull down the seat tray and flip open (for the first time) my Lonely Planet Senegal, I learn that in addition…
swallowing shame
Nothing strikes me as particularly interesting or memorable about the US embassy in Dakar. It’s a formidable building, with the same broad shoulders of those that neighbor it, identified by a simple gold plaque on…
midnight monsoon
pouring. drenching. pounding. drowning. rain. When I was in Pune, they asked me, “Did it rain in the North, in Mumbai, when you were there?” When I was in Goa, they asked me, “Did it…
subconscious’ shadow speaks
“Hey! So, listen. You’ve got help me out. I have no idea what to do. I spent all day, and I mean all day, like 12 hours, researching airline tickets, and then I finally, finally,…
tackle & tangle
“No more satisfying work than work with no purpose.” – Rumi To build a sandcastle right in the face of an oncoming tide. To climb a tree that I must eventually come down. To write…
on the altar of humility
October 13th, 2005 Xela, Guatemala Tropical Storm Stan Evacuee Camp “psssst!” I look around the room, but there is only an old woman stooped over a broom sweeping the floor. People have been hissing at…
silence squeaks
bean and corn field outside of Nebaj Like a child who has witnessed a tragedy beyond their vocabulary of comprehension, my mouth has been closed in silent surrender of the search for fitting words that…
all saints
The bus ungracefully bumbles its way along a long unpaved road. Its full load of passengers jiggles and jostle more to the tune of the bumps on the gravel path than that of the reggaeton…