As women, maternal instinct runs deep in some of us. I say some of us because, like any human trait, its presence or absence can vary to a great degree. I suppose it could be said that variation from the norm is the norm. I had no maternal instinct as a child and young adult. I hated dolls, […]
In the first installment of THE TOILET OF ADVICE, I enjoyed the bliss of offering you the worst .02 cents about writing careers I could muster, a parody of what I see being handed out like free crack to eager first-time addicts. I now feel obligated to offer some genuine and helpful advice. And I […]
There is sunshine today and dirt beneath the woman’s fingernails. She is digging in the garden, a large hole, the size of her body, carefully measured. When she displaces a bit of earth, large clumps erode from the sides and fall into the bottom. This makes the process slow and cumbersome, but she doesn’t mind. […]
We go to the animal shelter on a Thursday. I want a dog. Liev says Thursday is the kind of day for getting a dog. We’ve done all the paperwork, been approved as “pet parents”—which is what the shelter calls it and Liev tried not to roll his eyes too much when they said it […]
I remember the static voices: “Bomb. Bomb. Bomb.” The great, distant flash. I remember the day the bomb seed entered me, thrust deep and spilling into my bones and blood. I am a Nuclear Daughter. I will bear its children. For six months I have watched them swell, twisted lumps pushing out of my abdomen like fists, […]
When Nora arrived at the fertility clinic, Jim was there, waiting. He was an amazing husband, hard-working and kind, and made entirely of flesh. Nora’s only regret was that they met too late to have a baby unassisted. “How’s Vivian?” Jim asked. “Did you see her baby?” “A bundle of silverware isn’t a baby,” Nora […]
