May 2, 2023
Union From the Car Window
Union looked better from the side street than from the main road. That is usually true of New Jersey towns. You have to miss the quickest way through.
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659 published posts across 11 pages.
April 26, 2023
Ration Books and Ordinary Nerve, April 26, 2023
The thing that stayed with me was not a headline but a kitchen detail: rationing, blackout cloth, a careful hand with what was left. World War II can become too clean in memory if it is only told through victories. The…
April 24, 2023
Prayer at the Kitchen Table, April 2023
The evening started with gas-station coffee in the cup holder and no great feeling of readiness. I said the short prayer anyway. Not because the room changed, and not because I suddenly understood what to do next. Praye…
April 15, 2023
Linden and the Roads We Stop Seeing
Linden looked ordinary from the road, which is usually when a place is easiest to underestimate. Union County keeps a lot of its memory in street names, rail crossings, old storefront shapes, and the odd bend of traffic…
April 11, 2023
Ration Books and Ordinary Nerve, April 2023
The thing that stayed with me was not a headline but a kitchen detail: rationing, blackout cloth, a careful hand with what was left. World War II can become too clean in memory if it is only told through victories. The…
April 8, 2023
Two Pages of Christina Rossetti
A poem is a good thing to read when the room is too full of errands. Christina Rossetti did not fix the day. It gave it a better edge.
April 4, 2023
Saying Amen With Cold Coffee Nearby, April 2023
The late hour started with an old pen on the kitchen table and no great feeling of readiness. I said the short prayer anyway. Not because the room changed, and not because I suddenly understood what to do next. Prayer i…
March 29, 2023
Passing Through Westfield
Passed through Westfield and caught one small thing: a sign, a doorway, somebody carrying coffee too carefully. That was the whole note. Some towns are mostly made of things you only see while stopped at a light.
March 17, 2023
A Wet Sidewalk on an Ordinary Day
A row of township signs along the road was enough to slow the afternoon down for a minute. Most days do not announce what they are going to mean. They leave small evidence and let a person decide whether to notice. I am…
March 8, 2023
The Corners of Berkeley Heights
I walked a little through Berkeley Heights with gray light moving across the street. The older blocks had that New Jersey mix of pride and wear. A good front step, a tired sign, a small business opening its door. Nothin…
February 28, 2023
A Quick Note on Psalm 23
Psalm 23 was the page I opened to, and I almost closed it too quickly. Some days a familiar line only needs a second chance.
February 17, 2023
A Poem Beside the Coffee Cup, February 2023
I had Emily Dickinson open with a folded napkin nearby and the room getting a little darker. The poem did not explain itself all at once. The better lines rarely do. They stay put while the reader shifts around in the c…
February 7, 2023
Prayer at the Kitchen Table, February 2023
The afternoon started with a folded napkin by the plate and no great feeling of readiness. I said the short prayer anyway. Not because the room changed, and not because I suddenly understood what to do next. Prayer is o…
February 4, 2023
A Local Note on Cranford
Cranford looked ordinary from the road, which is usually when a place is easiest to underestimate. Union County keeps a lot of its memory in street names, rail crossings, old storefront shapes, and the odd bend of traff…
February 3, 2023
The Crow Near the Road
A crow held still near the road longer than I expected. Traffic kept moving. A door shut somewhere. The bird or animal did not seem interested in becoming a lesson. That is probably why I noticed it. Suburban New Jersey…
February 1, 2023
Hillside and the Roads We Stop Seeing
Hillside looked ordinary from the road, which is usually when a place is easiest to underestimate. Union County keeps a lot of its memory in street names, rail crossings, old storefront shapes, and the odd bend of traff…
January 16, 2023
A Quick Look at a Cardinal
Saw a cardinal near the road and almost missed it. It was there, then it was gone. The street felt a little less ordinary for about five seconds.
January 9, 2023
A Grocery Receipt on an Ordinary Day
A row of township signs along the road was enough to slow the evening down for a minute. Most days do not announce what they are going to mean. They leave small evidence and let a person decide whether to notice. I am t…
January 8, 2023
James 1 in the Middle of the Day
Read James 1 while the house was still half-noisy. I did not get far. One sentence was enough to interrupt the mood I was carrying.
December 28, 2022
What a Crow Can Do to a Street
A crow held still near the road longer than I expected. Traffic kept moving. A door shut somewhere. The bird or animal did not seem interested in becoming a lesson. That is probably why I noticed it. Suburban New Jersey…
December 27, 2022
Amen Before the Sink, December 2022
Said a short prayer in the late hour before walking into the next thing. Nothing dramatic happened. It still helped to stop arguing with the day for a minute.
December 17, 2022
What Plainfield Keeps in Its Older Streets
I walked a little through Plainfield with gray light moving across the street. The older blocks had that New Jersey mix of pride and wear. A good front step, a tired sign, a small business opening its door. Nothing dram…
December 9, 2022
A Home Front Note, December 2022
The thing that stayed with me was not a headline but a kitchen detail: rationing, blackout cloth, a careful hand with what was left. World War II can become too clean in memory if it is only told through victories. The…
December 6, 2022
A Quick Stop in Summit
Passed through Summit and caught one small thing: a sign, a doorway, somebody carrying coffee too carefully. That was the whole note. Some towns are mostly made of things you only see while stopped at a light.
December 5, 2022
Where Public Lives Begin, December 2022
The thought started at a bus stop, looking at the places people pass before anyone knows their name. Public lives can look inevitable from a distance. They never are. Everyone starts on some street, in some kitchen, und…
December 3, 2022
Old Rail Lines and Local Memory, December 2022
Hillside looked ordinary from the road, which is usually when a place is easiest to underestimate. Union County keeps a lot of its memory in street names, rail crossings, old storefront shapes, and the odd bend of traff…
December 1, 2022
The Small Weight of a War Letter, December 2022
The old war notes I was reading made me think less about speeches and more about boots, mud, and mail. World War I becomes too large to hold if it stays only on maps. The smaller details bring it back down to human size…
November 27, 2022
A Morning Near Warinanco Park, November 2022
The line went out badly near Warinanco Park, and there was no way to pretend otherwise. Fishing has a way of making impatience visible. The water does not care how clean the cast looked in a person's head. I watched the…
November 25, 2022
Amen Before the Sink, November 25, 2022
Said a short prayer in the morning before walking into the next thing. Nothing dramatic happened. It still helped to stop arguing with the day for a minute.
November 24, 2022
Old Rail Lines and Local Memory, November 2022
Berkeley Heights looked ordinary from the road, which is usually when a place is easiest to underestimate. Union County keeps a lot of its memory in street names, rail crossings, old storefront shapes, and the odd bend…
November 22, 2022
Mud, Boots, and the Great War, November 2022
The old war notes I was reading made me think less about speeches and more about boots, mud, and mail. World War I becomes too large to hold if it stays only on maps. The smaller details bring it back down to human size…
November 21, 2022
The Line I Kept Carrying Around, November 2022
I had John Donne open with cold coffee nearby and the room getting a little darker. The poem did not explain itself all at once. The better lines rarely do. They stay put while the reader shifts around in the chair. I l…
November 21, 2022
Springfield and the Roads We Stop Seeing
Springfield looked ordinary from the road, which is usually when a place is easiest to underestimate. Union County keeps a lot of its memory in street names, rail crossings, old storefront shapes, and the odd bend of tr…
November 18, 2022
Kenilworth and the Roads We Stop Seeing
Kenilworth looked ordinary from the road, which is usually when a place is easiest to underestimate. Union County keeps a lot of its memory in street names, rail crossings, old storefront shapes, and the odd bend of tra…
November 16, 2022
Amen Before the Sink, November 2022
Said a short prayer in the evening before walking into the next thing. Nothing dramatic happened. It still helped to stop arguing with the day for a minute.
November 16, 2022
A Page of John Donne After Dinner, November 2022
I had John Donne open with a folded napkin nearby and the room getting a little darker. The poem did not explain itself all at once. The better lines rarely do. They stay put while the reader shifts around in the chair.…
November 14, 2022
What a Bad Cast Teaches, November 2022
The line went out badly near Warinanco Park, and there was no way to pretend otherwise. Fishing has a way of making impatience visible. The water does not care how clean the cast looked in a person's head. I watched the…
November 13, 2022
Letters Home and Ordinary Time, November 2022
The old war notes I was reading made me think less about speeches and more about boots, mud, and mail. World War I becomes too large to hold if it stays only on maps. The smaller details bring it back down to human size…
November 12, 2022
Prayer at the Kitchen Table, November 2022
The evening started with a grocery receipt curling near the sink and no great feeling of readiness. I said the short prayer anyway. Not because the room changed, and not because I suddenly understood what to do next. Pr…
November 11, 2022
War Work Away From the Headlines, November 2022
The thing that stayed with me was not a headline but a kitchen detail: rationing, blackout cloth, a careful hand with what was left. World War II can become too clean in memory if it is only told through victories. The…
November 10, 2022
A Poem Beside the Coffee Cup, November 10, 2022
I had John Donne open with gas-station coffee nearby and the room getting a little darker. The poem did not explain itself all at once. The better lines rarely do. They stay put while the reader shifts around in the cha…
November 9, 2022
A Page of Emily Dickinson After Dinner
I had Emily Dickinson open with a marked envelope nearby and the room getting a little darker. The poem did not explain itself all at once. The better lines rarely do. They stay put while the reader shifts around in the…
November 8, 2022
Small Streets and Better Meals, November 2022
The smaller station is often where a traveler starts noticing again. Big cities tell you what to look at. Smaller towns leave more work to the eye: a bakery window, a narrow street, a quiet market, a train board clickin…
November 7, 2022
The Small Weight of a War Letter, November 2022
The old war notes I was reading made me think less about speeches and more about boots, mud, and mail. World War I becomes too large to hold if it stays only on maps. The smaller details bring it back down to human size…
November 7, 2022
Not Much, But It Stayed
Cold coffee on the counter caught my attention and then the day kept moving. Not much to say beyond that. I wrote it down because small things disappear fast.
November 6, 2022
A Poem Beside the Coffee Cup, November 2022
I had Christina Rossetti open with a church bulletin nearby and the room getting a little darker. The poem did not explain itself all at once. The better lines rarely do. They stay put while the reader shifts around in…
November 4, 2022
Church Sign, Red Light, One Line, November 2022
Ecclesiastes 3 showed up again today, this time with an old pen on the kitchen table in view. No big lesson. I just noticed that the line had more patience than I did.
November 3, 2022
Ration Books and Ordinary Nerve, November 2022
The thing that stayed with me was not a headline but a kitchen detail: rationing, blackout cloth, a careful hand with what was left. World War II can become too clean in memory if it is only told through victories. The…
October 31, 2022
Something I Noticed, October 2022
An old pen on the kitchen table caught my attention and then the day kept moving. Not much to say beyond that. I wrote it down because small things disappear fast.
October 27, 2022
A Poem Beside the Coffee Cup, October 2022
I had Walt Whitman open with a library receipt nearby and the room getting a little darker. The poem did not explain itself all at once. The better lines rarely do. They stay put while the reader shifts around in the ch…
October 25, 2022
The Small Weight of a War Letter, October 2022
The old war notes I was reading made me think less about speeches and more about boots, mud, and mail. World War I becomes too large to hold if it stays only on maps. The smaller details bring it back down to human size…
October 22, 2022
A Walk Through Plainfield Before Work
I walked a little through Plainfield with cold rain moving across the street. The older blocks had that New Jersey mix of pride and wear. A good front step, a tired sign, a small business opening its door. Nothing drama…
October 17, 2022
A Fall Prayer
The afternoon started with a church bulletin folded in half and no great feeling of readiness. I said the short prayer anyway. Not because the room changed, and not because I suddenly understood what to do next. Prayer…
October 16, 2022
The Small Work of Staying Quiet, October 2022
The afternoon started with a grocery receipt curling near the sink and no great feeling of readiness. I said the short prayer anyway. Not because the room changed, and not because I suddenly understood what to do next.…
October 15, 2022
A Small Note on Byron
Byron is good company for about ten minutes and dangerous company after that. Still, the page had a charge to it. I closed the book before making him wiser than he was.
October 11, 2022
Old Rail Lines and Local Memory, October 2022
Garwood looked ordinary from the road, which is usually when a place is easiest to underestimate. Union County keeps a lot of its memory in street names, rail crossings, old storefront shapes, and the odd bend of traffi…
October 10, 2022
The Small Tools Behind Big Battles, October 2022
The thing that stayed with me was not a headline but a kitchen detail: rationing, blackout cloth, a careful hand with what was left. World War II can become too clean in memory if it is only told through victories. The…
October 9, 2022
Luke 15 in the Middle of the Day
Luke 15 showed up again today, this time with a bus stop bench after rain in view. No big lesson. I just noticed that the line had more patience than I did.
October 7, 2022
A Home Front Note, October 2022
The thing that stayed with me was not a headline but a kitchen detail: rationing, blackout cloth, a careful hand with what was left. World War II can become too clean in memory if it is only told through victories. The…
October 5, 2022
Ration Books and Ordinary Nerve, October 2022
The thing that stayed with me was not a headline but a kitchen detail: rationing, blackout cloth, a careful hand with what was left. World War II can become too clean in memory if it is only told through victories. The…