Whale Bones
The forest is a beach, the hill a shoreline, this fallen tree a whale. The current has carried the whale’s remains to this sheltered spot, …
Forty Days and Forty Nights
After two hundred and four pages, I begin to lose track of things a little. I draw character maps, list names, complete a chronology. This …
Moss, Spruce, Rain
The air is warm, but other than that it’s harder to tell here that spring is in full bloom. There are no blossoms in the …
On Tools
People tell me I’ll want a chainsaw, and one day that may be true. But so far, I’ve been cutting with hand tools. When I …
Waiting
The air is heavy and still; an August day in early May. We push through the brush up the north hill, trying to find the …
Keys to Words
Last week I wrote myself into a corner. I had seen it coming for months, imagined that by the time I arrived it would solve …
Porcupine Tree
Cedar finds a porcupine in the bushes. While the dog barks wildly, the porcupine pulls itself heavily up a pin cherry sapling, quilly hand over …
British Soldiers
Tiny red soldiers march across the rotting stumps of trees, and camp in the gravelly soil of open clearings. All lichens are a unique alliance …
Helium
Today, a ragged yellow balloon lies beside the path. Its ribbon is still attached, curled among last year’s leaves, green sprigs, and the rocky earth. …
Ploughing Match
The field is dotted with old farmers and antique tractors, ploughing the sod over in straight rows, exposing brown earth to blue sky. A row …