Author Archives: sputterpub

From Hempen Cloth

Posted on October 26, 2011 by sputterpub

Danny and Andy and I happened to discuss the word “canvas” over lunch a month ago. Danny did a quick phone-peek and announced that the word was derived from “cannabis.” So of course it went onto the list of language … Continue reading →

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Juxtaposition

Posted on October 25, 2011 by sputterpub

I can make a satisfying meal: tasty mixture at a low expense. I can cook a dinner of appeal but I can’t fabricate ingredients. I can change an argue to agree (switch a letter, make the order squirm). Composition is … Continue reading →

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Where There’s Smoke

Posted on October 24, 2011 by sputterpub

… there may be a smoke machine. I could end this post with that. Or I could wait until a sweet everyday example comes to me, so I can make a small point that reverberates. But I’m feeling declarative this … Continue reading →

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Invisible Friends

Posted on October 21, 2011 by sputterpub

All grownups have invisible friends. That’s who they talk to when they move their mouths and there’s no one else around. The more burnt-out grownups talk aloud to their invisible friends, to the embarrassment of the less burnt-out grownups, who … Continue reading →

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Awful Us

Posted on October 20, 2011 by sputterpub

A month ago I was alone for a bit with my two brothers, and it didn’t take long for us to start joking inappropriately. I don’t know whether it’s called black humor or just weird, but we have been known … Continue reading →

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Puzzle Words

Posted on October 19, 2011 by sputterpub

I like word puzzles. From an early age I enjoyed crosswords and codes, in college I began unscrambling letters and solving acrostics and diagramless varieties, and I have engaged, chronically I see, at backwards reading and mirror writing. I have … Continue reading →

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Pedestrian Path

Posted on October 18, 2011 by sputterpub

I used to turn the corner to my street with dread reluctance mounting in my heart, preparing for the tensions I would meet within my own front door. That stress was part of every evening when I lived with him … Continue reading →

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Crazy Corks and Wedding Wings

Posted on October 17, 2011 by sputterpub

We’re terrible. We have no sense of decorum. These are some of the sentences my family has laid upon itself. Of course those are hyperbolic. We’re not that bad. We are not malicious and we do not vandalize. But we … Continue reading →

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Extension

Posted on October 14, 2011 by sputterpub

This week I’m putting up two poems from 17 years ago, from time with the kids. In case you don’t know them or the story, both of my children were a challenge to raise. Each of them spent too much … Continue reading →

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Indignitis

Posted on October 13, 2011 by sputterpub

There’s a strong strain of indignation in my family. Most of us are quite comfortable proclaiming outraged disapproval, sardonic or stern, about conditions we encounter. If one were speaking negatively, the term “rager” could be used. We’re not physically abusive, … Continue reading →

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