Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Category: Marriage, Family, Dogs, and Cat
Bedtime
When my husband is gone I sleep on his side of the bed Further from the door As if the extra distance would Deter an intruder’s violence More than the baseball bat Tucked behind the radiator That my husband believes will Fend off a… Continue Reading “Bedtime”
Old Papers
We looked through old papers tonight, pages of them, some in English, most in Spanish, documents pulled out of a torn white envelope, each one signifying some step in the adoption of one of our three children from Nicaragua. In the papers there were… Continue Reading “Old Papers”
Wilted
My mother scolded me on the phone one night for leaving my eight-year old daughter alone while I went to the store and I didn’t talk to her for months. I felt the scorch of her judgment in every part of my body. It… Continue Reading “Wilted”
Lines of Communication
It belongs to his uncle. He said we could stay here. It’s only temporary. It’s warm in the kitchen with the stove on. The baby’s fine. She’s with us. We won’t let those people on the porch come in. Don’t worry, Mom.
How Do People Fall in Love?
So much for making a lifetime commitment based on how a guy looks in jeans. The 36 Questions hubbub is making me wonder how I could have been so shallow as if a single garment should have such predictive value. Worse is that jeans… Continue Reading “How Do People Fall in Love?”
Let’s Run This Lap Together
The disproportionality of the motherhood experience just smacks me in the face sometimes. We all start pretty much equal, right? We’re young women in our twenties, we get connected to someone, maybe get married, feel suddenly completely impelled to have children, impelled as if… Continue Reading “Let’s Run This Lap Together”
Bury Me Floating
On a night when what’s going on in the world seems like an episode of 24, I am sitting at the small round table in our second floor room at the 1950’s era motel in the Florida Keys where we’ve stayed more than twenty… Continue Reading “Bury Me Floating”
In My Daughter’s Kitchen
The toaster goes back in the cupboard under the counter when it’s not being used. The spices are in a drawer, everything visible right away. No lost time searching for the right one. On the window ledge and on the wall are the people… Continue Reading “In My Daughter’s Kitchen”
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
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