Buddha told a parable in a sutra. A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down […]
The Tiger and the Strawberry Read More »
I never knew I could be the sort of woman who grew poppies. These women live in gigantic houses with terraced gardens, boasting dripping sedum and perfect bunches of perennials, color coded, tendrilling out of their hibernation in perfect cycles. These women, some sturdy with spiky hair, licking their girlfriend’s ear in public, some in
Beguiling the Poppy Read More »
Fall set in soon after I arrived, and the colors of St. Petersburg had begun to change. I decided to walk the two miles to the Summer Gardens, built by Peter the Great in 1704 and lined with Italian sculptures from the 17th and 18th century. I left the hostel and merged onto the sidewalks
The Dog of St. Petersburg Read More »
If there’s one thing I’ve learned when it comes to marriage, it’s that you need to stick to marrying someone who is close to what you are used to. That is to say, when considering marriage, the person you choose should have a similar family background and upbringing. Of course, if you grew up in
A First Date: The Pentecostal Way Read More »
The Greenbush Senior Citizens’ monthly meeting is not so much a meeting as a dialogue on the decrepitudes of the absent. A dismal state in all cases. A state no one wishes to belong to and yet, as the self-satisfied woman at the helm of the podium croaks into the microphone, we all will someday.
God Help Me and the Peonies Read More »
I sat in English class trying to write a paragraph, drawing a blank. I started writing on a topic. Then I realized that what I had written didn’t make any sense. My sentences weren’t clear. I didn’t have the vocabulary I wanted to use right away, and I couldn’t use the translator because I was
I bet I’m not the only one having these feelings Read More »