By Andrea Miotto The crow out my upper windowSwaying on his slender, brave branch,as I sat thinking spiritual thoughtsInvaded my eyes and my heart. So close I could look deep into the pool of iridescence on itsmany-colored wings.Black wings without bottom,Flaming in the sun. Crows, I had thought:Cawing, communal, curious, crafty.Vicious. Courageous, this stern-faced watcher…
Author: younggibsonk2@mailbox.winthrop.edu Young-Gibson
Making Friends with Dust Bunnies
By Elizabeth Mechem When our governor first issued the directive to shelter in place,limiting our movements to home and essential travel only, Ithought not much was changing for me. I’ve been at home fortwo years in various states of employment/unemployment, aswell as being an at-home mom to my teens. Being home was notnew to me….
Reciprocity
By Iris Carufel I give you my love and you give me love back. You need a smile today? Here, have mine. I breathe out what she needs And my tree gives back to me We are tied together Sustained relationships Reciprocity. Iris Carufel is Ojibwe, Santee Dakota, and HoChunk which centers her identity as…
Relationship and Reciprocity in a Time of Great Confusion
By Iris Carufel Community has always been important to me; to be in relation with one another has been important since time immemorial. Today, the whole world is sick, but perhaps she has always been sick. It’s so easy to forget our survival is rooted in reciprocity and respect for life. Whether human or not,…
AROUND THE WORLD: In Search of Freedom
By María Rodríguez, Cuban reporter and blogger, residing in the U.S Until a year ago, I loved shows and movies about prisons: Oz, Prison Break, Vis a Vis, Papillon, The Green Mile, Orange is the New Black,etc. Now I avoid them; I know the pain of wearing handcuffs and an orange suit while being innocent….
Editors’ Note
Dear Community, We had originally planned to focus on the themeof Finding Sex/Finding Love in this issue, but thejarring changes taking place globally and in all ofour day-to-day lives seemed an invitation to reflect,more broadly, on how we create community andconnection in this moment. How do we support oneanother through grief, uncertainty, and disruption,and create…
Covid-19 and (Dis)connection
By R. Bacchetta As a transgender woman and an undergraduate student at a southern U.S.university, I have learned to dig underground for connections, underneath the layers of transphobia and biphobia and nationalism that percolate into many aspects of my daily campus life. My community is one of careful selections. It is comprised of friendships with…
Zooming Between Communities in the Quarantine World
By Nancy Marcus Before I began confining myself to home to hide from COVID-19forty-five days ago, I didn’t even know what Zoom was. Thesedays, Zoom is my primary social outlet. As I write this at the end of April 2020, I am one of the fortunatefew who are still receiving a paycheck to work safely…
I’ll Take A Side of Dementia With That
By Loraine Hutchins Editor’s Note: Last year, Loraine Hutchins turned 70. Her health is declining. She is having a hard time walking without her walkeror cane, and she doesn’t want to be alone. She has no kids or partner, so she opted to move to Friends House, a CCRC (continuing careretirement community, which includes independent…
Letters to Myself
By Joy Muhammad Letter from 15-year-old me to seven-year-old me: Dear Me, I know you feel a bit rubbish. A bit awkward in corduroy trousersand consequently having to pretend to be a little dad in thatawful playground game “Mummies and Daddies.” You wouldrather play She Ra, like on the telly, than the other alternative,which is…