Columns

Porkpie Hat – I Saw You . . .

You . . . were sitting on the edge of the bed we once shared, combing your hair in the mirror. You were staring at yourself, past yourself, past the reflection of me. I . . . was moving backwards in the darkness of the landing, drifting backwards down the stairs, floating backwards into the… Read more »

Porkpie Hat – The Value of X

Health Ms. Allen shows us a video of what it looks like when bad cells divide. There are posters of smokers? lungs and classroom rules. We make collages of cancer symptoms. Math Outside the window thin, dark branches of unidentifiable autumn trees are being whipped around by a wicked north wind. A car is reversing… Read more »

From Where I Sit – Baby News

On Christmas Eve we found out that our daughter-in-law is pregnant. To say we were cautiously thrilled is an understatement. Greg and Carrie have been married since 2002 and now the time is right for them. We all took a vow of secrecy promising not to say anything until she was safely past the risky… Read more »

Porkpie Hat – A Plague of Angels

So there’s this man who finds himself middle-aged, middle class, middle-of-the-road, living in the middle of Middle America. He knows his place, his way, his precise location, because he has GPS and satellite signals, and echolocation. He has route maps and instructions. He has a glowing box of dreams he keeps in the corner of… Read more »