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…
We have all heard the news. The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and dissolved abortion rights across much of this country. This decision was foretold by an infamous leak about a month ago, but that doesn’t make it any less shocking. Abortion rights have seemed secure to many of us for almost 50…
“I remind myself and others that there is still such a wide spectrum of possible futures, and we do get some choice in which ones we have. We’re not going to be able to take some sort of time machine backwards to a perfectly pristine planet, when there’s 8 billion or something people on the…
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned. Without heat, there is no life. Without heat, there is no us. Absolute zero is the temperature 0 Kelvin, -273° Celsius, -460° Fahrenheit. At that temperature, movement ceases.…
You can also check out my piece “White fear” from June 1, 2020. On February 28, 1990, I was a 13-year-old 8th-grader living in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a shy, quiet kid – small for my age. I enjoyed school and usually earned good grades. I had close friends and was coming to terms with missing…
Entwining 