BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… THE DAY BEFORE. A lemon sky gathers, clouds a distant tangerine smudge where the sun is setting on the far western horizon, somewhere over Oklahoma it seems, and the ribbon road is again endless, east versus west, time over and again. The forest ridges tumble away on all sides, faceless, nameless to…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… STORYBOOK DIRT. The smell of the leaves is strong in the November dusk, strong and acidic and tannic and luminous, the smell of the forest’s death and rebirth, of the garden and autumn all at once. The sun slipped beyond the west seemingly only moments ago and now all is but dark.…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… FOREST OR FIRE. Hot afternoons and cold nights and the Ozarks’ oak forest blossomed in crimson, orange, and brilliant yellow. Fall has finally fallen, too late for Halloween, but right on cue. I drive home in awe, even as early dusk covers the hills in a gauzy purple blanket. At some point…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… SEASON’S ENDS. One week ago, I was told to resign as Sunday School director, music leader, and deacon, of Smyrna Baptist Church by my fellow deacons after 16 years of Smyrna being my church home. The accusation (which was news to me) was occultism, heresy, and witchcraft. Appropriate for the Halloween season,…
Artwork by Clint Loveland, February 25, 2017. BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… STORIES TO TELL. Leaning back in my chair at Vintage Paris Coffee, I close my eyes, listening to the stories being spun and woven by the small group of dedicated writers around me. There is an oaky bitterness in the air, but only because I…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… RULES OF TRAVEL. Dusk, gray and lavender in the dark, settles over the old neighborhood. At the top of the stairs, the shadows lengthen, then sharpen, then fade. Sister and brother stand on the landing talking. “I think you’ll like this album. I wouldn’t have thought I’d like it. It’s country music,…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… DOG, HEARTH, MAGIC. The rain beats down outside, surprisingly cold, especially after so long a hot, dry summer. The warnings on my phone turn ominous: flash flood alert. Floods are sudden on a limestone plateau. No thick layer of clay here to absorb all that run-off. For the first time in what…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… INK, STONE, MAGIC. “Lithography began in the late 17th century,” my professor is saying while writing the words “Bavaria,” and “limestone” on the white board. “‘Lithos’” means ‘stone’ in Greek.” Outside, the afternoon sun is bright, air dry in the September light. I am in Graphic Arts 110, sitting in a classroom…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… LEAF & SHADOW. Late summer afternoons seem hotter, somehow, after we have been teased with the scent of fall. Autumn has become something of a designer season, all decked out with pumpkin farm experiences and flannels and big floppy hats ready-made for social media posing. When I was much younger, it seems,…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… WILD RABBITS WATCHING. The runaway mine train roars over closely cut grass, flying between stands of elm and cottonwood. It is strange to be riding a roller coaster that hugs the earth. Riding so close to the grass makes the speed seem faster. The dandelions, the mullein and the wild hawthorn blur…