when pain crumples

when pain crumples

She lies crumpled near the goal, in front of the other team’s spectators, and her wail impales my heart. But I’m a good soccer mom/nama, so I sit glued to my chair while her coach runs to her. Soon he’ll sweep her up in his arms (with a few jokes), set her down on the...
when we cry for help

when we cry for help

“Look, there’s a dragonfly.” He points into the water. We’ve been hiking deep along less traveled paths. We’ve climbed up and over even as the rain drips off hoods and jeans turn dark and cling to legs. I’ve thought about Lynnette’s words as she held the bear skull...
when we see the deer

when we see the deer

The deer, they tell us, come right up to the windows. My parents did, after all, build and operate the Deerland Motel. Deer have always been a part of our lives in some form. So we move Mom into the room with the view. I see a doe the next day, hidden way back in the...