Published in New Writers Welcome·May 19Member-onlyBut of Course Walls Can TalkThe asylum — “If only walls could talk, what would they say?” But they do talk, my friends. Oh, they do. One only needs to listen. “How could a place deteriorate so much in only seven years?” …New Writers Welcome3 min read
Published in Paper Poetry·May 18Member-onlySchumann's CarnavalFrom where I sit — Butterflies and blood The tears begin to flood Cows chewing their cud Teeth caked in crud Fireworks and duds Then the pianist’s fingers dance across the keys like tiny fairy ballerinas who know exactly what the composer was feeling when his fingers wrote each note, like a misunderstood quote and the clowns awoke the…Paper Poetry2 min read
Published in New Writers Welcome·Apr 26Member-onlyOur Selective Belief in EnergyBut why? It’s all the same. — There is nothing new under the sun. Everything “new” that has ever been discovered or invented already existed. It was just waiting for us to figure it out. For us to uncover it. …Spirituality4 min read
Published in Genius in a Bottle·Apr 18Member-onlyHow Old Are We?I mean, inside — I just turned 50 in November and the people in my age group are in that range now where we are helping care for, or losing, our parents. Obviously, some lost them earlier, but I mean on average. I keep seeing Facebook posts of high school classmates and getting the…Genius In A Bottle2 min read
Published in New Writers Welcome·Apr 16Member-onlyMy Fourth Stint as an Inpatient Patient“I’m baaaaack” — I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get this next part of my “Inpatient” story out. I’ve struggled a lot with migraines and things got put on hold. This story is about struggling with an eating disorder. Though I stay away from a lot of things that would…New Writers Welcome29 min read
Published in New Writers Welcome·Mar 13Member-onlyPathways, the Halfway HouseMy stint between stints — So I landed in Miami, and my cousin Jackie, who is one of the “older cousins” in the family and lived in Miami, was there to pick me up. Now, the older cousins never hung out with the “younger cousins” when we were younger, of course, because we were little…New Writers Welcome14 min read
Published in New Writers Welcome·Feb 19Member-onlyMy Third Stint as an In-patient-patientI was tired and hungry — So, I told you I wasn’t done with this thing, but I think by now, my parents were getting a little worn out. I had left New York Hospital in the Spring of ’92, and this was the Fall of ’92. I’d enrolled in college at UW-River Falls because, for…New Writers Welcome13 min read
Published in Paper Poetry·Feb 18Member-onlyOne of My Deepest WishesHow do I make it happen? — One of my deepest wishes is to be able to lay my head down on the pillow next to yours and gently fade off to sleep in the peace of your presence. To have you wrap your arms around me and feel safe, and to know that if I wake…Paper Poetry2 min read
Published in New Writers Welcome·Feb 12Member-onlyMy Second Stint as an In-patient-patientThis one was hard-core — For as much as my first treatment center didn’t know much about eating disorders, this place should’ve sold t-shirts. Do I believe they helped me with mine? Er — not so much. But that’s just me. Do I believe the experience was good for me as a person? Absolutely. New…New Writers Welcome15 min read
Published in New Writers Welcome·Feb 10Member-onlyMemories of Being an In-patient-patientIt wasn’t all horrible — In the course of my life, I’ve been an in-patient-patient four times for an eating disorder. Let’s just say each time I went in, I didn’t really feel I was sick enough to deserve to be there, so there was always a part of me that felt I needed to…New Writers Welcome5 min read
