Should I know you? — Should I know you? you say I do, but if you are tucked away in this mind map I may never find traces of you, of us Shameful admittance: if you didn’t commit a memory trick chances are you are stuck in mire somewhere in the swamp or buried in a graveyard…

Given and taken away — When I was ten, my parents gave all three of us siblings pets for Christmas. I received a female fox terrier named Lady, my brother received a chihuahua named Cringles, and my sister received a white male cat named Snowball. I hadn’t really wanted a dog, but I grew to…

The gift that kept on giving — In my mid-20s, I juggled quite a few things at once — college, a full-time job, and finding precious moments to spend with a high school friend. Our nights-out usually consisted of taking a forty-five minute trek across the state line into West Virginia to a Country & Western bar…

Even shadows have lives of their own — When I sleep, your life begins anew — As though keeping up with me all day isn’t enough You escape to clubs and bars, restaurants and theaters Mingling with your own kind It’s a whole new world out there on the other side A mirror image, but…

Growing up poor taught me invaluable lessons — We didn’t have much when I was a child. Dad worked constantly, even if he was sick. Mom managed the household, made sure the bills were paid, and made sure me and my two siblings were fed and clothed. In my early childhood, most of our furnishings were hand-downs from…

When death robs you of a confidante — Speech after long silence; it is right, All other lovers being estranged or dead — After Long Silence by William Butler Yeats I remember long, lingering chats on the phone I could tell you everything and nothing I’d wrap my problems up in pretty little packages And present them to…

It was quite the ChannSpiration that I needed — I know I’ve written about this before, but to sift through my over 1k posts to find it would be overwhelming. So I will just state it again — each day the Universe sends me a message via email — it is affectionally called TUT-The Universe Talks. …

I just wanted it over — K-THIRD GRADE — SKETCHY MEMORIES I remember kindergarten because it was the only time I shared school with a cousin. She was beautiful with her strawberry blonde hair and outgoing mannerisms. I was awkward, uncertain and shy. I envied my cousin. I had a best friend who I’d walk to and from school with, but…