top of page


Staying Human
On the day the twin towers fell, while the steel and concrete rained down and the clouds of white dust rose, when we still knew nothing, I watched on a small, boxy television in the corner of my first-period class as the news anchors groped for words. Girls cried. Boys sat atop their desks instead of in their chairs, as if nothing about the day could be normal. Biga de la Passio, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya My English teacher that year was Mr. Ault, a man who arrived at

Alyson
Dec 3, 20253 min read


A Prayer Before Daybreak
God, In the field at the crossroads The sunflowers hang their blackened heads. Can You hear it? Cold rain beats on the roof And drums on the gutters, Sharing dire tidings, “The worst is yet to come.” I slump down, Like a spent candle, sputtering, As the dregs of night hem me round. I wait for daybreak, For the miracle, For the call to arms, For the bugle call That will marshal armies and convert disappointments Into victors’ crowns. I wait for You. But when Sigh, At las

Alyson
Oct 27, 20252 min read


A Liturgy for the Weary
O God, When the plodding steps of my secret path go unsung, My footfalls deadened by the carpet of last year’s leaves, When all I have...

Alyson
Feb 12, 20252 min read


When We Were Strangers
When we first came here, the trees frightened me. It was July 2020, and we had just driven across the country folded into a Kia Soul like...

Alyson
Feb 6, 20253 min read


On Wintering
By Alexandre Dulaunoy from Les Bulles, Chiny, Belgium - "I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so...

Alyson
Jan 28, 20251 min read


The Gift of Limited Time
The last week of the year is also the longest. I take a red pen out of the drawer to mark a December day off on the calendar, then shrug...

Alyson
Dec 30, 20232 min read


The Tree
We bought a Christmas tree today, the kids and I. For weeks we have all been sick, the children tossing, fretful in the night, with fever...

Alyson
Dec 9, 20232 min read
bottom of page