The 2022 election is less than a week away. I know that this fact should make me terribly anxious, but truthfully I’m not feeling it, and I wonder why. Is it the constant rush of news that makes it hard to grasp that the election is, in fact, next week? Is it because I have…
I was riding home from work on the elevated train through the West Side of Chicago. Feeling tired and a little fidgety, I shifted in my seat and my phone fell out of my lap and onto the floor. I bent to pick it up, but another man who was closer said, "I got it,"…
I crawled into bed and checked my alarm clock. I settled my body, positioned my pillow and sheets, closed my eyes. I laid there, as any other night, letting my mind drift away into sleep. It kept drifting but couldn’t find a place to rest. I turned over, tried to settle again. I laid still…
This terror washes over me. I do not know the source. I struggle to protect myself, I let it run its course. I wish now that I could return To time before this fear, But I cannot pull myself away When it would draw me near. It comes to me at night Before I can…
The kids wanted to walk down by the water, so I said I would accompany them. We were having a picnic along Lake Michigan and had finished eating, so they were ready to explore. We climbed down the rocks to walk along the shore, and at first the surface was relatively level. It was easy…
The heat settles across the lawn, Tracing wavering lines through the air As the heavy scents of cut grass And lilies fill my senses. I feel the need to do Everything that is left undone, Temperature and temperament spurring Thoughts of action. Then I watch a hawk trail Lazily through the sky And think, "Maybe…
Outlandish heat waves around the globe. Powerful hurricanes lashing our shores. Disastrous fires sweeping through forests and people’s homes. Droughts that affect our food supply. More and more people can see the pressing and immediate impacts of climate change on themselves and those around them. At the national level, two-thirds of Americans think that the…
The teaching of American history often amounts to one long argument for deference to the white men who designed the founding documents and systems of the United States – those we call the Founding Fathers. We are told that we should admire these men for their actions, choices, and sacrifices. From traditional history textbooks to…
O say can you see On the ground underfoot All the lives that you've trampled, All the wishes destroyed? You have made us a people Torn out at the root By American dreams That we thought might bring joy. When I rise up I may See our rights stripped that day. When we cannot produce,…
Yesterday was primary day here in Illinois, which somehow both resonated harder and felt more discordant given the devastating Supreme Court ruling this past Friday. Voting is one of our core rights and responsibilities in a democratic republic such as this. And I have heard many, many calls since the ruling that voting is not…
Entwining 