Here’s a short piece written for the ACLU of Virginia, in anticipation of the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. Why Loving Matters In 1973 I moved to Richmond for grad school, and met my future wife. It was love at first sight, or pretty damn close at least on my part. And so we …
Continue reading ‘Reflection on the Supreme Court’s Loving Decision’ »
I found these bottles of carbonated drink–a genuine product of Japan–at a local salvage store. Here are the actual directions printed on the plastic wrap covering the top of the bottle: “1. Serve Ramune drink chilled. 2. Remove the plastic film from the top. 3. Pop out the center from the cap, which will …
Continue reading ‘Real-Life Chindogu—an Unuseless Invention’ »
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a rhinoceros like you! Instead of having one horn, you insist on wearing two. The one and only thing you’ve ever said to me is “moo.” It’s no wonder why no other rhinos dine with you! Copyright by Paul Fleisher, 2013
First grade. The first day of public school. The very first memory I can locate specifically in time and place. Our teacher leads a recitation of words I’ve never heard before. Yet somehow all the other students already have the words memorized, and join in. I don’t understand. Why do all the other kids know …
Whose weeds these are I’m sure I know. I’ve watched them as they sprout and grow. No time to rest or sip a beer— I better run and grab my hoe. My little garden slowly clears of undergrowth. I persevere. My fingers blister; shoulders ache This longest evening of the year. I …
Ten years ago Hurricane Isabelle roared through Virginia, leaving a new landscape in her wake. Behind our house, Isabelle uprooted hundreds of mature trees. In some places, they fell like dominoes, each leafy giant toppling the next. But in the aftermath of destruction has come regeneration. The rebirth began immediately after the storm, and continues …
Come August, Come Freedom: The Bellows, the Gallows and the Black General Gabriel by Gigi Amateau, Candlewick Press, September 2012, ISBN978-0-7636-4792-6 (Ages 12-up) One of the least-known stories from our nation’s history is that of the widespread Black resistance to enslavement. From the very beginnings of European settlement of the new world, Africans and …