Family & Relatives
Free Will
That’s the thing about free will, he told us. You can drag me along, but there’s no way in hell you can make me have fun.
Front Porch
My grandpa used to tell us about a man who had 3 heads who lived in his town & he was always in the kitchen frying something or other & even though it smelled like chicken it was really the bones of children. He was awake every time I saw him, my grandpa said, even late at night & we decided maybe he had 3 or 4 jobs but that’s what you need with so many mouths to feed & then my grandma would make us come in & watch educational television for our own good.
Flying Naked With Jesus
When I was younger, I used to fly a lot in my dreams. I used to dream I was naked too. My grandma said it was all because of original sin & that if I lived a pure life that someday I would be able to fly naked with Jesus & then she looked at me & said many are called, but few are chosen & later on I thought it was a damn good thing too & I gave up pure living for a long time after that just to be sure.
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.
Flexible Practice
I was thinking of either meditating or napping, but the way I do it, there’s not much difference except in the explanation to the rest of my family.
Final Days
I’ll bet you wouldn’t even miss me if I died, she said. Depends on if you’d been grumpy in those final days, I said & she tried to look sad but I saw the smile anyway.
Family Resemblance
no family resemblance but the pictures don’t lie
Eternal Reward
Of course I believe in heaven, my grandma used to say. There’s got to be some reward for living with your grandfather for all these years.
Enough Time (No Gender)
Everything changed the day I figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in my life.
Equal Treatment
Why do they treat us like children? they said & I said why do you treat them like adults? & their eyes opened wide & they began to laugh & talk all at once & suddenly everything looked possible again.
Enough Time (Feminine)
Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life.
Early Life
I try & get a lot of living in early in the morning before everyone else gets up, because after that, it doesn’t seem so much like living as it does putting up with stuff.
Easy Going
I get along better with my relatives, he said, now that most of them are dead. (Big rocks so they won’t be able to get out early)
Empty Spaces
After his father died he carried his life more gently & left an empty space for the birds & other creatures.
Distinguished
You’re lucky, she said. You’ll only get more distinguished as you get older.
Duty
My great uncle shot & killed his own brother for disturbing the peace & I wonder if anyone ever tried to quiet his deep deep sorrow. Duty isn’t consolation enough.
Disappearing Act (aka Magical Thinker)
Can make stuff magically disappear, especially if it’s got a lot of butter & sugar in it
Day Break
liking each other because it’s a beautiful day & it seems like a waste of time to disagree about stuff the other one is refusing to change out of sheer stubbornness
Deep Roots
When I die, she said, I’m coming back as a tree with deep roots & I’ll wave my leaves at the children every morning on their way to school & whisper tree songs at night in their dreams. Trees with deep roots know about the things children need.
Crowd
She always camouflaged herself as a crowd. I’ve never been lonely, she said, but sometimes it’s hard to think above the noise.