From the first spin The drive engine on our e-bike has done a share of cutting in and out. Usually after a little bit of whacking or tapping (I’m the Fonz) the drive kicks back into gear. But since the lay-down, it’s gotten worse. This is called foreshadowing. A couple of days have passed since …
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contemplation
I have thoughts in a state of preponderance Just moments out of a self-care special, a massage, tea, and a sit. I’m calm on the out, but my in is busy Considering future, ruminating on past. Contemplating. I wander up the concrete ramp, eager to hop on our bike and meet the family at the …
screened
Reflecting today on a piece I drafted a year ago, written with hopes that Distance Learning would be a short-term deal. And what might be, today and tomorrow. A flash. Third floor J in the middle of a Zoom with one of her EAL students. She smiles and solicits a response to a prompt, the …
miscom
Just out for a stroll. We take the long way around today, which allows us to jump through the short cut. It sneaks us under the scaffolded awnings and into the 3-metre wide corridor, past the usually abandoned restaurant. Once again today, it is dark, fish tanks arrayed in front, pumps busy, ready for the …
stick
I sit in the abandoned classroom, accompanied and hassled by the squad of flies, diving in, alighting on my neck and flitting away, just enough nuisance to distract. There’s so many at this time of year Where do they all come from? I hear a couple voices down the way and peek at the clock …
universal
I sneak into the back of the cab It’s always a quiet moment. Invariably, as the driver sees that I am not ‘from around here’, he keeps quiet. I, being not ‘from around here’, do the same. I settle in, watch the lights of the neighbourhood wander past, and listen The radio is gentle, understated, …
IWD
Happy International Women’s Day! It should be, and is, for many. But it’s not, for far too many others. We read Malala’s Magic Pencil this morning. About how she wove magic, achieved the unimaginable. With her words. How words have power. There is an audible gasp in the classroom when I tap the statistic that …
Alley
Like many things in Hanoi, these winding streets feel unimaginable. The narrowest of alleys, sheperded by iron gates, concrete walls, towering apartments. All linked with secret turns and punctuated by the sharpest of angles. The sky darkens from gray to black, dusk is here. We’re unconcerned, despite being trapped like rats and even accompanied by …
Perch
My eyes are drawn First, to the bike. Immaculate, sleek, defined. This is the treasure of one who tends, with care. Both helmets perfectly placed, one hanging, as it should, from the handlebar, ready at moment’s notice. The second, lain in wait, nestled securely in cradle, eager for a second rider. The spokes define the …
Chrysalis
The days before proper Spring are cynics. We follow their lead, and are solidified. Ensconced. Chrysalid. These days we, along with this city of millions, are on lockdown. But we still find a way to venture out. Let’s try to grab a bite The weather persists. Cool, wet, saturated, all drizzle and (small p) acific …
Get Up Eight 