Nature can help us understand so many things about life. My eldest child took his own life in the fall of 2011 at age thirty two. As a mother, no matter how many counselors, doctors and friends tell you suicide isn’t the parent’s fault, you can’t help but wonder what you did wrong. Didn’t I cuddle him enough? Should I have been stricter. Was I too strict? The bottom line was: I failed as a … [Read more...]
A Writer Visits Père Lachaise
I feel as if I only touched the surface of the beauty of this extraordinary cemetery in Paris. For a writer, Père Lachaise is a magical place of wonder and inspiration at every turn. I'm glad we took a tour, but even the guide told us there isn't enough time to see everything. The most romantic story is the one of Abelard and Heloise. A few highlights … [Read more...]
Visiting Jim Morrison
At last, I was here I stared at his monument in awe, flushed and a little woozy, thinking about how much this long-haired, leather-clad icon has meant to me over the years. The makeshift gate at Père Lachaise Cemetery wouldn't let me get any nearer than 20 or so feet. At last I was here and yet this was the closest I'd ever get to him. It was a bittersweet moment that … [Read more...]
Russell Edson and the Dream Brain
Extraordinary poet I first learned of his strangely bizarre prose poems from poet Stephen Dunn in a workshop at Cranbrook in Michigan. Dunn said that Edson's book, THE TUNNEL: Selected Poems, was all about fucking. The entire book. Every single poem. So, of course, I had to buy the book. I imagine everyone in the workshop ran out to buy the book. I don't necessarily disagree with Dunn, because I … [Read more...]
On the Nose – Romance Novel Pet Peeves
In the last two romances I read, the "hero" kisses the girl on the nose. It was something that pulled me right out of the romance, and suspended my belief in the story and the author. I just can't see a man kissing anything but a baby, child or puppy on the nose-- certainly not a lover. For those who enjoy romance novels, what's your pet peeve, if any? On the nose “on-the-nose" is a term that … [Read more...]