Audio [V1 ] It’s a long way between can and do. You’re at the strange age- not young but so new- staring at the vastness of space from your mattress on the floor, Praying for that small grace to rise once more. [V2] Work another long day, that ain’t working for you. Bringing home that […]
Audio My baby gardens at night, She gets that midnight dirt inside of her fingernails. I wonder what it feels like To hear the secrets of the earth that she never tells. And so what- maybe she’s crazy, to spend her time creating beauty she’ll never see. But when the moon hits the sky I […]
Audio My mama knows when I am aching, she can feel it in her soul. My mama knows the smile I faking, when I’ve got nowhere to go. And in my older years, it’s hard to keep my pride up on the shelf. But mama gives it when I ask her for some help. (She […]
Audio All the love is stronger, now- I call you sisters and brothers. And, I’m not saying that it’s easy, somehow, but I don’t believe there are others. All the dark is softer, now- I glide right over the ridges. And I’m not saying that it’s easy, somehow, but at least I’m not digging ditches. […]
Audio It’s funny how the what we do becomes the who we are- a lifetime of tomorrows passes by. And, flipping through my journal is like picking at a scar- the pages thick with ink that just won’t dry. Oh, I have tried a hundred ways to end this bitter journey. And time can hide, […]
Video Well, we met down there at PJ’s on a lonely Sunday night and right away, my dear, it seemed to come quite natural. Then I braided you a bracelet, but I tied it on too tight, that’s when I knew that you and me was something actual. Then, there was that time at Cece’s […]
I think of my dad as an accidental feminist. He has five daughters, so he didn’t have much of a choice. With that gender distribution, it was inevitable that he would witness his female progeny carry out multiple acts of intelligence and feats of competency. Practicality alone led him to avoid “traditional” paths wherein each […]
Originally published in Riverwise Magazine The dual issues of water shut-offs and tax foreclosure are well-known causes of individual and collective harm. In both cases, bills are inflated beyond reasonable or affordable levels. In both cases, those high bills can lead to people living without the basic human rights of water and shelter. In both […]
Previously published in the Free Press with minor unapproved edits. Original below: It started with a Facebook post “77-year old women needs help immediately!” The woman was a renter of a tax foreclosed home, and a stream of well-meaning friends offered their advice about what she should do. There was fear that she would face eviction, […]
Originally published in Hour Detroit An iconic image of winter in Detroit is the columns of smoke spewing from sidewalks. Steaming streets are part of the landscape, but few know the answers that lie beneath this mystery in plain sight. Below our sidewalks, there’s a vast infrastructure that includes electricity, water, sewer, and fiber optics. […]
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