Children & Parenting
In The Heart of The World
In the heart of the world there is a place that holds the secret names of the rocks & the trees & all the children of the earth & around it gather women & men who hold it dear & each night they stand together to keep it safe for as long as it takes till morning comes & no matter what you have been told, this will always be so, in the heart of the world.
Incurable Optimist
scattering little bits of happiness everywhere she goes, except at home because her family told her to get out & leave them in peace for godsakes
Hot Dish
It’s not so bad if you don’t think of it as pizza, she said.
Just think of it as another one of Mom’s scary hot dishes.
Hot Dogs
My father used to carry a briefcase when he went to work every day before we left for school.
Now, he stays at home & cooks us hot dogs for breakfast.
Hindsight (father)
I didn’t listen to him because he was my father
& wouldn’t know anything until I was much older.
Hindsight (mother)
I didn’t listen to her because she was my mother
& wouldn’t know anything until I was much older.
His Laughter
The first time his laughter
unfurled its wings in the wind,
we knew that the world
would never be the same.
Hopping
I had a dream & I heard music & there were children standing around, but no one was dancing.
I asked a little girl, why not? & she said they didn’t know how, or maybe they used to but they forgot
& so I started to hop up & down & the children asked me, Is that dancing? & I laughed & said, no, that’s hopping, but at least it’s a start & soon everyone was hopping & laughing & it didn’t matter any more
that no one was dancing.
Her Laughter
The first time her laughter unfurled its wings in the wind, we knew that the world would never be the same.
Hide & Seek
I was never good at hide & seek because I’d always make enough noise so my friends would be sure to find me. I don’t have anyone to play those games with any more, but now & then I make enough noise just in case someone is still looking & hasn’t found me yet.
Gross Anatomy
When I grow up, he said, I want to be just like you, except for the hairs in your ears & nose. That’s too gross, he explained.
Growing Fast
We grow a lot faster than trees, he said, so we miss a lot of stuff.
Half Alive
You can have a plain hot dog if you want, he said, but until you’ve had a real polish sausage you’re only half alive. I decided there were worse things & I was only ten & could correct the serious mistakes later & the plain dog tasted just fine, even being half alive & all.
Halloween
I heard that the big kids soaped the windows on Halloween & all we had was a box of Tide & I couldn’t reach the windows anyway, so I poured a big pile of it on the neighbor’s doorstep & I never figured out how my mom knew it was me until we had kids.
Handy Fact
why aren’t people dogs? he said & I said because we can pick up newspapers with our hands & that made sense to him.
Good Trick
this is a special balancing trick that requires a small child to stay completely still
(so it’s still only theoretical)
Giving a Damn
My grandfather used to say nobody gives a damn anymore & the thing I remember most about him is the way he never let that stop him from giving a damn all the days of his life.
Four Things
4 things I have learned about soccer that you may find useful. No. 1 If you run too much your lungs burn to tiny little cinders & all you’re good for after that is a low-key desk job for the rest of your life. No. 2 A soccer ball is softer than a rock, but not much. No. 3 If you have a good goalie, you can look around more & see what some of the other teams are up to. No. 4 People on the sidelines yell at you because they know exactly what they would do if they had the ball & were 3 feet taller than the biggest kid on the other team.
Fortune Teller
Every summer we had a circus & I always got to be the fortune teller. All the girls wanted to know if they’d have babies & all the boys wanted to find out about the Cubs. We had one neighbor who’d been in the hospital who asked me if I could tell her when she was going to die & I didn’t know what to say so I told her not before her time & then she grabbed my arm & said I was a good boy but that’s not what the doctors said & there I was looking in the crystal ball wishing I had more Gypsy and less Norwegian.
Finger Sprouts
My uncle Obert had only 3 fingers on his left hand. He lost the others during corn planting one spring. My fingers are buried out in these fields somewhere, he used to tell us & I check for them every summer to see if they’ve sprouted yet. I asked him once what he’d do if they ever did sprout. He thought for a minute. I’d run like hell, he said, & never look back & then he made us promise not to tell my aunt.