The other day, just four days ago, I was roaming NY state farms, chewing pesticide rich apples and handling baby ducks trained by a man named Lyle who, in addition to training ducks and wrangling reptiles for fashion photoshoots, owns a grilled cheese food truck in Harlem. At the end of this 6 day work jaunt, I drove a silver moped up winding New Jersey roads to the edge of a driveway where my dear Grandma Dot greeted me with a tearful squeeze. There are 91 years of life inside my grandma. Parts of her are New Jersey, some are New York, some skipped down to Florida, others resisted Illinois. She's old. She'll tell you right away when you ask her how she is. She'll do her crossword puzzle over coffee and toast. She'll question you about your whereabouts in life and hit you playfully if she thinks you're an idiot. She'll walk with her arm in yours and flirt with married men. She'll tell you she loves you and mean it. You'll feel it hit your abdominals. You'll feel it orange your body in warmth.
Tuesday - 2:50pm
Some would say I was caught up in a tangle of flash bulbs, wafting boards, safety pins, airplane bathroom aroma and jet lag. Some may say under eye bag is brought on by one too many glasses of wine. Some may say they do not like the flavor of beef Wellington. Some may say yes. Some may say maybe. Some would say I have almost finished a first draft of a book. Others may say that book is about me or the things I believe myself to be. Some may question this. Some would rather not read it. Some may want to explore the fjords of Sweden without the proper footwear. Some would say it's a bit sultry outside today. Some may believe they are going to come back to earth after they die as hearty stalks of asparagus. Some may enjoy the feeling of laundry ghost under a feathered pillow. Some will disagree. Some may place hands in pockets because the hands don't feel comfortable anywhere else. Some may want to check baggage instead of carry it on. Some would rather wear a watch. Some will forget what it feels like to be milked.
Clarice
If you were to become lost and in that getting lost, you somehow got stuck, and just before getting lost and stuck you had a chance to put just one book in your satchel or horse sack, this wondrous collection of short stories by the incomparable Clarice Lispector is the book you'd want for such an occasion. Why? Because, she's a queen.
