We are several hours away in the hills, the desert steppe, a friend’s cabin, down a dead end road that leads to a lake, a quarry, so quiet you can hear the gravel on the shoulder when we pull over… Read More ›
the nature of art
Sneaking up on your readers: on trust, and surprise
A good surprise is a good thing, when it comes to film and literature. People like to be surprised, but not in a way that violates their trust. I can jump out at you from behind a bush and make… Read More ›
Writing about the weather
I’m not proud of this, but I read a weather blog every day. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, it’s hard to make the weather interesting to read about. In the winter, it’s generally “high 52, low 48…rain, changing… Read More ›
When night falls like this: life, in black and white
The streets are gray and everything on the edges has gone to brown, might be dead, hangs on waiting, like us. Looks dead, probably isn’t. I stare out the window at work and night has started at 4 o’clock. It… Read More ›
What’s true
Sometimes, people will forgive what’s true. Even if it’s not good, not right, it’s true. That’s what comes in to play when you hear music that’s real, it sings of its own accord. It hovers above the Plane of Attachment,… Read More ›
The Magic Place
It was a magic place, where we met. The sweet brine of birdsong, a tapestry in the trees, the mystery of light angled through the leaves. There, where the two made love on the ground, in the grass. How the… Read More ›
The art of disassembly
I dreamed my way through those days, propped myself up like a scarecrow, couldn’t fool the crows. If you want to know how something works you have to take it apart first, which applies to people, too. That’s what therapists… Read More ›
Suburban alternatives
The dog chews the back of the cat’s neck and when she does, it’s like the cat is caught in some embarrassed state of sexual arousal. The chicken coop needs to be extended so I can park my tractor under… Read More ›
A cold and broken hallelujah
It’s hard to go inside yourself and not be self-indulgent. Most people don’t, and leave a lot behind. You need to feel the presence of death on you and the dark that comes with it to fully appreciate the living,… Read More ›
The Meaning of Existence
It shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to figure this out, but it has, and I haven’t still. I walk this same road every day, the same road, but always different. I keep thinking I’ll catch the tail of an… Read More ›
Bill Pearse 