essays by shé

bookshelf

Tag: audio

  • Suzy Le Speed

    It is so nice not to feel desperate. Hackles lie down and rest awhile. Misery is merely a habit. Buoyed by the recent publication process, I am prepping my P.I. novel for same. The joy I feel is comparable to playing with Emmett, back in the day—pure, unadulterated happiness. Here’s a slice of Shoulds are…

  • Delfinas

    The panga zoomed up as I was exiting the water, the guys pretending to look for fish. I quickly wrapped a sarong around the swimsuited Bod, and turned away. All I want for Xmas is a private, secluded swimming hole. Is that too much to ask? Evidently. Better fix the boat sooner rather than later…

  • Light My Fire

    A short-haired dog the color of pale fire trotted up to me as I ambled home from the ocean this morning. Tawny gold from head to toes, she wagged her tail and gazed up at me in a friendly, expectant manner. Do you have something for me? And actually, I did. I stopped and pulled the…

  • Yes/No

    Not Grateful To the uncle who abused me To the lovers who battered me To the mother who sided with them To the brother who villainized me  To the father who bought it To the niece who ransacked my trust To the friends who refused to bear witness To the relatives who denied aid when…

  • Perseverance

    “What’s within you is stronger than what’s in your way.” –Antoinette Lee Toscano via the anthology, Women and Water, edited by Straub, Russell, and Hirst What’s in my way, usually, is self-doubt. I once interviewed a dancer for an article about international perspectives. I came away from it wishing for even a small dose of her…

  • Undeniable

    When I was in third grade, Ms. Robinette sent me up to the fifth grade wing of Will Rogers Elementary to study poetry with the big kids. She recognized my quick and hungry brain, and figured this was one way to divert boredom. I had recently picked out a pair of bright blue wooden clogs…

  • All are Hallowed

    I’m in the land where folks celebrate death, realizing that it’s merely part of the cycle. Grinning, bedecked skeletons hang from every corner, and bedsheet ghosts waft from trees and doorways. Spooky music emanates from bars and groceries alike, and sugary treats are placed on altars for the dead, along with flowers and candles. A…

  • Soniferous Fish

    Learning about singing fish illuminated an aspect of human behavior recently. Many species of fish sing seasonally, as a mating call, and can be quite loud. So that thumping bass emanating from the dune-buggy at 4 a.m. is really saying, “Choose me, choose me. Ch-ch-ch-ch-choose ME.” Same with the battle of the bands on a…

  • Surfing Sexism

    “It took me a year, and I’m a man,” said the ovary-deprived human. He’s surprised that I am refinishing Habibi’s hull alone. “Maybe it took you a year because you’re a man,” I don’t say because I am polite. Turns out I’ve just bought a flexible sander from a member of the penis gallery, and I am…

  • Move It

    Moving is traumatic. So why have I been traveling for 12 solid years? Granted, I stopped here and there for six to 12 months, but no place has felt like Home. It may surprise you to learn that I am a nester, given my proclivity for buying mobile abodes: first a tiny house on wheels,…