In picking a president, ageism is a mistake
I was confused when I read David Ignatius’ column in The Washington Post on September 12. I thought perhaps the editors made a mistake when they titled it, “President Biden …
Public Enemy: Madness
For my dad I am nearing the age of my grandmother when she descended into madness. When her husband took off and she found herself solo raising three boys—too ill …
Public Enemy: Meth
For my niece, Mariah, and her mother She dug those bugs out of her skin, crawling over her face, her neck, her chest, all the way down to her thighs. …
Public Enemy: MRSA
For Peter Kjolsrud (February 29, 2000-September 16, 2010) and Tovah Kjolsrud, who lost him After the infection ravished his body, I curled myself around him in the hospital bed. I …
Old Ask a Poet Column
I hate living in Los Angeles, but I’ve been told that my film career will be best nurtured here. Another place calls me home, where I might suffer for my …
What to Expect
The only response to a child’s grave is to lie down before it and play dead. —Bill Knott Black boys getting shot in Harlem—that’s certain, waiting like a germ between …
Chat GPT could be more useful than you think
Just for kicks, I asked Chat GPT to write an argument in favor of using Chat GPT to write papers. What followed was an itemized list, bookended by an introduction …
Ask a Poet
What do you tell parents of would-be poets who worry about their children’s ability to make a living writing sonnets?— Your father, Sierra Vista, ArizonaP.S. Do you want me to …
The Impracticality of Poets
I identify myself as a poet because I can’t do anything else. Really, I’ve tried. My journey to find a marketable skill took me all the way to Uzbekistan with …
CRT and the Buffalo Murders
The other day a relative of mine who lives in another city saw a woman outside the local school district office holding a sign saying, “No CRT.” My relative considered …