Short Fiction: The Banks of Noon
Photo by Lance Anderson The times I remember us throwing Smiley out the hatch on that plane always come two different ways. In the first, we all heave to…
The Balcony Gardener: A Season of Possibility and Improbability
The Balcony Gardener loved April. Spring had arrived again, and with it came a quiet accumulation of ideas for the new season’s balcony garden. April did not require announcement. It…
Reflections: Visiting a Literary Landmark in Paris
Photo courtesy Shakespeare and Company In preparing for a recent trip to Paris, my first ever, I had my “to do” list pretty well mapped out. Drink Champagne at…
The Balcony Gardener: The Ides of Basil
Photo by Paul Steuber March arrives as it always does—with ambition slightly out of proportion to available space. The Balcony Gardener draws up three lists. Seeds to order. Seeds…
Poetry: Allegro
Michael Laboon, "Roots and Wings," San Luis Obispo Art Around Town For Ann Ream This is where we enter the dark This is where we must go it alone…
Poetry: Shoreline Meditation
Photo by Sofya Kholodkova Six a.m.—light of a new day just beginning to illuminate patches of distant waves through a dense haze. Tideline dotted with clamshells, some closed and…
Poetry: Nature Pulling Gently
Photo by Catt Liu This morning I’m awakened by a discussion outside my window between a wild turkey and a crow. It seems a friendly exchange, even when decibels…
Poetry: Blue Sky
There is something big as the sky inside you A blue cloudless sky An ocean inside you Have you heard it move Along the lines of your eyes Felt it…
The Balcony Gardener: The Case of the Emerald Afternoon
The Balcony Gardener and her beloved dog Teddy were enjoying a patch of late January sun that had wandered, briefly, into February’s jurisdiction. Teddy lay with his chin on his…
Poetry: Time Travel
My ten-year-old self climbs into her time machine, aims for age twenty-four, and over-shoots the mark. In the ballpark still, but landing with me, age eighty, she pouts, wants…