My six-year-old son tugs expectantly on the back of my shirt. It is usually quite hectic around 11:30am in my kitchen, making lunch for 9 people. I shift the baby to my other hip and peel the two-year-old off of my leg so that I can kneel down to speak with him in the middle… Continue reading Happiness is for Babies
Every morning, a great light sparkles on the horizon. A downpour of warmth rushes over a dark and sleepy landscape. Sometimes covered by clouds, sometimes shining in solitary glory, the sun covers our planet with a predictable pattern that we almost daily forget. The sun continues to show up, lighting up the world even without… Continue reading Sunshine, Rainbows, and Screaming Babies
To argue and defend a point, it is understood that one must follow a certain set of rules. Logical reasoning, respectful debate, ethical integrity, and a nod to the emotional aspect. However, in an actual conversation with learned friends the emotional argument is the annoying nagging wench to be politely ignored. She gets a little… Continue reading In Defense of Emotion
More than 3 decades have passed. I know only because the marks are scratched into the wall next to where I try to sleep. Sometimes I stare at those crooked lines, losing myself in the valleys of shadows and dust trapped in those tiny crevices. Sometimes I stay up too late counting each slash; remembering,… Continue reading Imaginary Bondage
What is it that directs our hearts and minds on that which is tragic? Of course, we all know the trap of this life. That all is moving toward decay and everything will die. This philosophy is what we naturally dwell on. Is it because we are scared of what it means, that we can’t… Continue reading Beauty is Worth Repeating
If we could only see a word. Beginning as a bubble somewhere deep inside, filling with meaning and pictures and referents as it rises to the mind. Floating gently or thrashing turbulently behind the eyes, waiting to be released. Finally, the mouth opens, the fingers twitch. Blinding rays from the external exposure reach inside for… Continue reading Can You See A Word?
A wet warm breeze blew the last of the raindrops across the sky. After an hour of drizzling darkness, the clouds began to glow a shade lighter. Even though the sound of the rushing drains fooled my mind into thinking it was still raining, my dry cheeks informed me differently. The thunderstorm was over and… Continue reading Chasing Rainbows
A good story meets you in the midst of life. It tells you something true, something you can relate to. It abducts you. It takes your heart unexpectedly. It gives you the breath of another life as a character in the fairy tale. It becomes a reality you dream is yours. It paints a world… Continue reading Predictable Stories are the Worst
It gets cold. slowly. First a chill on the tip of the nose and a numb little toe. And it cuts a little deeper inside, the darker it gets. A few minutes past sundown and the air is ice. Not only threatening from the shadows, but now stabbing from the inside. Of her throat. Down… Continue reading Cold Hope
That you would love me ever. Even if I went astray. Wander through the darkest caves. Not far enough from your reach. Black to white there’s nowhere lost. And you won’t lose me. What if I have steadfast trust That you would call me always. Stalking never tiring of reaching for my hand. Even when… Continue reading What If I Believe Too Much
Cindy Koch 