My tarot card for last year was the Two of Pentacles from the Wild Unknown deck (Carrie Mallon's interpretations are my fave). I drew the card and reflected on it and then didn't really return to it until now. The card indicates balance and change. The suit of pentacles, according to the book for The Wild Unknown deck, relates … Continue reading The Life-Giving Force of Gratitude
The World You Long For
When I begin to make lists again I know I've returned, at least in part, to my previous life. During her nap, the baby sleeps in a wind tunnel of fabricated white noise; she swings in the darkened bedroom above a humidifier. She is wrapped in blankets, snuggled and steadied. I am in the next … Continue reading The World You Long For
Happy Christmas Eve Eve
My brain is total mush. The night is a wash of panic & exhaustion. Is the baby alive? Did she fall off my chest? Will she ever stop grunting in the cold, hard box that is supposed to be a bed? It occurred to me the other day that perhaps I depend on other people … Continue reading Happy Christmas Eve Eve
To the Pond: Come if you will
Sun's down by the time I leave today. But the light will fade for a while. I walk across the wet lawn in sandals. I am passing the stout apple tree when Mo calls to me that he's coming. He races across the lawn and down the path -- running is his favorite thing -- … Continue reading To the Pond: Come if you will
To the Pond: The Secret Canoe
the secret canoe & blue kayak Today I water the ducks and pick up apples before I depart. It's late afternoon, the kids are at soccer with Josh. It's hot for the second to last day of summer. The sky, a stunning blue, feels like a portal of joy. The leaves look dry, some curling, … Continue reading To the Pond: The Secret Canoe
To the Pond:[1]
the beginning of the field At seven months pregnant I feel the need to turn inward towards privacy and protection, towards the quiet of aloneness. I long to burrow into my own warm nest of safety and let the world slide away. It's late September and the leaves are just beginning to turn. I had … Continue reading To the Pond:[1]
How to Write a Book
Image by Dariusz Sankowski The first thing you should do is have a baby (or get a puppy). You need some sort of really obvious distraction so as not to realize it's actually just you procrastinating all those days, hours, minutes. A baby offers ample distraction 24/7 so that when you get to your desk … Continue reading How to Write a Book
The First Geese of Spring
Photo by Julia Craice I saw the first geese of spring this morning while standing on the porch, watching my son point to them from the driveway. When the geese depart and when they return are sacred times for me. They mark the coming and going of the dark season. There's a letting go and … Continue reading The First Geese of Spring
Write With Me
In the new year we reflect on our goals. It's a time when we consider what we might set in motion, complete, or resurrect as writers. It's time when I am reminded of a simple word that feels all-powerful: begin. Now is the time to hone your practice and find your seat at the table, … Continue reading Write With Me
Thresholds: The Sacred Rituals of the Everyday
On Monday, in my writing group, we read Maggie Smith's poem "Threshold." The three of us all thought of threshold differently. One, thought of the exact moment of crossing between as in the point when the light turns to darkness each evening. Another imagined a going between space, the movement from one thing to the … Continue reading Thresholds: The Sacred Rituals of the Everyday
Emily Arnason Casey 