Tag: humor

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…

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…

“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…

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,…

“I’m not going to let you weasel out of it,” said my date, grabbing my arm and planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. My cheek, because I quickly turned my mouth away from the incoming. Since when is kissing mandatory? Since when is kissing NOT consensual? Since when does anyone have a right to…

A few weeks ago, on the way to the grocery store along the train tracks, I was beset by a pack of dogs. Nearby humans were completely uninterested in my safety. I whirled in circles shouting “NO!” palms out, but still one darted in and nipped my calf, twice. Did not break the skin, but…

Books, people, food. On one end of the spectrum is nourishment, encouragement, fortification, body-building vitamins and minerals. Energy. On the other end is venom. Poison. Toxins. Pollution. In between, closer to the venomous end, are empty calories with no nutritional value. Enervators. Why are we attracted to poisonous people? Well, we may be related to…

The search for an art studio is over. I am able to spread out under my catamaran neighbor, S/V Let it Be. “Poetic,” said the boatyard owner, saying of course I can use the space. His sister is an experimental artist, so he was completely unsurprised by my need to paint. Let It Be’s humans…

“Andale, Reina,” says the boatyard guard, opening the gate. It’s been awhile since I’ve been called Queen. It’s late and hot, and Habibi trembles in the wind. Scary. So I climbed off the boat and descended the ladder to terra firma. Because I can. In the middle of the Sea, I couldn’t, or wouldn’t. I…