Getting Close to Encounter (unabridged)

I was perhaps fourteen-years-old and, if not confident that I could reach the hawk’s nest, desirous to get as close as possible to it, even though it crowned the top of a colossal pine tree. To get to it, I would have to cross an abandoned, overgrown horse pasture behind our back yard, to the… Continue reading Getting Close to Encounter (unabridged)

The Christmas Exchange

In the sixth grade, I received the most ridiculous and slightly insulting Christmas gift. My teacher decided to allow the class to have a gift exchange, determined by drawing names. I don’t remember whose name I drew, but I could hardly be expected to remember it: memory of the gift I received eclipses other important… Continue reading The Christmas Exchange