Personal Geography
Fictional characters aren’t the only ones who can’t be described without their settings.
Stickers in a Boomer Neighborhood
I begin to think about the time it takes for a tree to grow in a courtyard.
Hallowed Bluegrass Hall
On every guitar case and appliance in sight were collections of stickers from anything and everywhere.
Do Not Despise the Day of Small Things
Convulsions—shocking, kill-stand-rattling convulsions—are normal.
Sluggard
For a moment, silence. Then, I was overtaken by ants.
Coffee Crimes
Flooding stores with fresh hires just before a vote count in an attempt to dilute the vote? Illegal. Dragging their feet as long as possible with unionized stores, refusing to negotiate a contract with the union? Illegal.
Ten Albums
I’d time the queue so that the lyric “can’t figure out / how I’m gonna get through the next 10 minutes” played as we arrived at the pitch.
Smells Like School Spirit
You could smell the hesitant air looking for its next class in all the wrong buildings.
A Story That Shaped My Four-Year-Old Brain
According to Boersma family lore, I had memorized the words to it before I even knew how to read.
Weird and Awkward and Wonderful
For company, I had my two siblings and other high schoolers from my church with whom I hadn’t exchanged more than a passing word for years due to my aversion to youth group. The food was delicious; the time passed like molasses.
