I lifted the door lever and went outside to stand in the quiet. Then I leaped through the deep snow, through the woods, around the pond, and out to the road where Flora and Nickel's car had been. I stood looking down the road. The quiet was…
Monday, February 27, 2017
I Feel Different
"What are you thinking about?" I asked her.
"My youth," she said.
Nickel grinned.
"Like now?" he asked.
Flora shook her head.
"I feel different."
"You are different," I said. "You've been brave.You wrote a note…
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Poignancy
"'Day three in the cabin during a horrific storm,'" Nickel read dramatically from his notebook. "'Flora is rummaging through the refrigerator like a hungry weasel, searching for something mysterious, and possibly poisonous.'"
Nickel wrote…
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Sometimes I Forget, too
In the night I got up once to push up the door lever with my nose and go outside into the wind.
Nickel raised his head.
"Where are you going?"
His voice sounded frightened.
"I'm going to pee," I said.
I heard Flora's…
Like Washed Apples
It is a windy afternoon. Sylvan's class of poets sit in a group. There is a fire in the fireplace. I lie on the red rug, listening. The students who want to be poets are eager and fresh, like washed apples. Sylvan and I are the only ones…
Words
I'm a dog. I should tell you that right away. But I grew up with words. A poet named Sylvan found me at the shelter and took me home. He laid down a red rug for me by the fire, and I grew up to the clicking of his keyboard as he wrote.
He…
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Everyone Has Their Own Blocks to Drag Around
His eyes widen. "That is so. Cool! You're so lucky. Letters just stand there all boring when I read. I hate reading. I'd rather do anything in the world than read."
"Really?" I ask, wishing that the letters would just stand still for me…
I've Become A Pachyderm
"Elephants do have good memories," he says. "But that isn't why I chose it as my symbolic name."
"Then why?" I ask.
"Well . . . I've become a pachyderm."
"Is that a religion?" I ask.
His face twitches a bit. "No. An elephant…
Saturday, February 18, 2017
That Makes Us Each Great
Suki raises her hand. "Grandfather says everyone is unique. Special. Unlike all others, that makes us each great."
"I like that, Suki!" Mr. Daniel says. "And you are indeed great!"
She remains seated but bows a bit. " Thank you,…
Sunday, February 12, 2017
To be Careful with Eggs and Words
"People ask what you want to be when you grow up. I know what kind of grown-up I want to be. But I don't know who I am now." Albert stretches his legs out. "There are always people ready to tell you who you are, like a nerd or a jerk or a wimp."…
If Nobody's Perfect
"You say" - Albert adds and then pauses to think - "that you'll grow up to be nobody. But logically . . . if nobody 's perfect . . . well then, you must be perfect."
"Perfect? Me? Uh . . . no," I say.
"You are pretty perfect, Ally,"…
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Sometimes They Just Can't Say Everything
I walk over to the garbage and drop it in. Watch it twist and spin as it falls. I look up and lock eyes with him and wish I had the words to tell him how grateful I am for his helping me. In this world of words, sometimes they just can't say…
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Everyone is Smart in Different Ways
Mr. Daniels looks up at that bright blue sky and says, "Now, don't be so hard on yourself, okay?" You know, a wise person once said, 'Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its…
Feeling Like Can't Reach Anything Anymore
Out of the room and out of the museum. A woman calls to me, but I keep going. Out the door and around the back. Across the lawn of a beautiful light green house. I find a swing set, which reminds me of my grandpa, and how we spent hours on them…
The First American Spellers and Dictionaries
A lady talks about visionary Noah Webster was to create the first American spellers and dictionaries. Before that, people used to just make up spellings - there were no right or wrong ways to spell.
Some visionary. This spelling stuff…
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Wish Givers
I put my arms out like a tree and one, then two land on my arm. I love them. I never knew before how much I love butterflies.
I think about the story Albert told in social studies when we were studying Native Americans. He said that they…
Ice Cream on Ellis Island
"I don't believe in violence. And anyway, it seems to me that big kids would get the blame in a fight. No one's going to think a big kid like me didn't start it, so they would assume I give the punches, not receive them."
He stares at his…
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