michaela's profile

The Intervention The aliens invaded Earth out of pity. They did not swoop down from space in glittering death machines, but simply appeared out of the air in cities and towns all over the planet, knocking on doors, ringing bells and smiling at anyone brave enough to answer. Their unthreatening, somewhat ironic appearance (for they were small and green) made people want to let them in for a chat and they sat, squatted, and reclined in thousands of houses and huts, apartments and yurts, for a g...

Erie Spring In the early morning chill the flare of ardor, so phosphorescent only five hours ago, is sputtering, nearly asphyxiated by the burden of a long winter’s expectations. “Why am I here, freezing my butt off,” is the question for Kings and Counselors as the sippy cup of life sustaining hot is clutched protectively, while middle aged bones are eased from behind the steering wheel, out into the frigidity on which the calendar has seen fit to bestow the title of Spring. There is nothing...

Expiation for my crimes began in a muddy field in Michigan after a night of soaking rain. We were digging raspberry canes out of the ground, which, after cleaning and drying, would be shipped to customers who had answered the “grow your own raspberries“ ads they used to print in the back sections of women’s magazines in between the “Bust Enhancer” and “Do You Have Tinnitus?” come-ons. The roots of a raspberry cane go quite deep, and must be dug out carefully to obtain a viable plant capable ...

The self-appointed razor inside your jelly doughnut life Take a big bite and learn the error of your ways Sweet raspberry gore smears pithy lemon guilt And wouldn’t you just love to say thanks a lot Grindy grinding insult will spark the bloody edge away Take a big bite and learn the power of a word Sweet apple cheeks smear with sour cherry rage And wouldn’t you just love to say it all again

BADGER REVEALS ALL We’re having a welcome February thaw, and I’m sitting in the car outside the discount store watching women trudge through the chemical laden slush on their way to the entrance. The democratic nature of discount shopping provides an ever interesting panorama of age, body, clothing and hair styles, but the real fascination lies in the visage of grim determination worn on each face, which might be understood as a clue that today’s excursion is not entirely about shopping. Tha...