A (Brief) Dissertation on the Pit Latrine

March 11, 2025.Reading time 21 minutes.

“Perhatian….! Dilarang kencing dilantai. Harap kencing dikloset. Trims.” “Attention! It is forbidden to pee on the floor. Please use the toilet. Thanks.” – Sign on the door of a hotel bathroom, Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi We are the least trained for the Most Important Acts of our lives: Being born. Selecting a mate. Traveling to foreign […]

Precipitate

June 9, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

Among the varied (and rather eccentric) reasons I retain a post office box in Mendocino county is this: I get to participate in a county-wide community of poets. For over ten years I have shared readings and writings with this community in art galleries, museums, libraries, conference rooms, and on air. Our community is largely […]

The power of sharing food with one another

February 14, 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

Two years and over 5.5 million Covid-19 deaths later (in the US, as of this writing, we’re screaming towards one million) – these figures being conservative estimates, because countless cases remain unreported – we humans continue to bear the terrible brunt of a global health crisis that has morphed into compounding socio-political, psychological, and economic […]

Humanity: free download

March 22, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

In this season of pandemic, while we humans – hundreds of millions (billions?) of us – adapt to sheltering-in-place, self-isolation and quarantines, we have a unique opportunity to share the best of ourselves. Without lengthy commutes or events outside the home as part of our daily schedules, we have much more time at our disposal: […]