My guess is though no one will fess up, that my parents were actually reading when I was conceived. From the beginning, it was all about books. My father wrote. For a time, my mother wrote, and twice daily we went to the Children’s Library in Palo Alto, coming home with loads of books we …
Letting Go
I don’t like to ask for help. I’m also not naturally good at it. Last night, I read the prompt for My 500 Words and saw it was about letting go. At the same time, I was trying to learn more about blogging, mainly, how to leave feedback that was meaningful and impactful, the type …
Mary J. Rafferty
I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing, Each to Each.I grow old…I grow old…I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think they …
Cina
Before we were old enough to clobber, you were my toy and always smiled at me. And we were small enough to share a playpen and my blue blang and your bear, and have no concept of hurting each other. Ever.And I was two and you were one and the only reason I remember this …
A Square Egg
(Originally titled: Denise, Here is My Homework, Where Is My "A")Once upon a time, I had a beautiful black chicken called Sabina who was a “silkie,” a type of Chinese chicken with soft fur-like feathers. This unusual breed has black skin and meat and black bones. Black bones? Did God hold back an inch when he …
Swimming Lessons
(This is the first piece I shared on My 500 Words.) Swimming Lessons This story ends where I am today. Today, with the help of my Finis swimming snorkel, I swim more then a hundred laps. I enter the pool and dominate the water from start to finish, growing stronger and stronger each day. Three …