We were signing papers. Getting them notarized. It was a jocular moment. I was trying hard to keep it that way. I was giving him complete authority to take over my affairs should my brain start to melt and/or body start to fry its circuits. For that time, in other words, when we cease to…
Tag: death and dying
the little country that could — a kaddish for mohamed bouazizi and ibn khaldun’s oscillation of elites
Once upon a time there was a little country. It hadn’t always been a little country, but it had for the most part been an outlier in the larger scheme of things. It prided itself on being the ‘breadbasket of Rome’ but if the Punic wars had gone otherwise, Rome might have been the breadbasket…
a conundrum for our compassion
a ten-year-old murder case in San Jose begets murder last week and presents a conundrum for our compassion
a kaddish for six people in arizona
In the copious, loud discussion that has following in the wake of the shootings in Arizona last week, what has gotten lost is that six people died. Six people died, and we don’t even know their names. May their memories be a blessing to those who knew them. May their memories not be wasted by the rest of us thinking that their tragedy is fodder for our careless arguments.
the paintbrush
“What you really want is closure,” he said. I had called him knowing I was in peril. I asked him what he thought I should feel. He’s pretty good at feeling stuff. But I’m not so sure he’s right. I’m not sure closure is attainable in cases like this. Just as I’m not sure there could…
what is it about cemeteries?
Sometimes just going out to lunch or dinner with an ex isn’t just the pleasant experience you think it’s gonna be. We went to one of the places we usually go to. We ordered items congruent with who we each are at the moment. And instantly, the conversation turned to disease, dying, and death —…
a kaddish for elizabeth edwards
I’m not sure what to think, exactly, about Elizabeth Edwards, but I’m pretty sure that the real tragedy is that we still know more about him than her.
a kaddish for terry dobson
There’s no reason for me to remember. There’s no reason to forget. I knew the man for 15 minutes. The last 15 minutes, it turned out. Riki, his partner, told me at SF General Hospital that night, that in those 15 minutes, I had gotten the best of Terry Dobson. Maybe it’s the focus on…
epitaph for a tzaddik
New Orleans. With the voudon priest. Again. He gives me a reading. And one of the things he says is: “Don’t go to the cemetery. He’s not there. Go to the place where he still resides. The place where he still lives.” And all I can think of is well, where is that? Where is…
birthing and deathing
Birthing was easy. Well, I mean, it wasn’t easy easy. But it was easy. Pregnancy was easy. There was a time limit to pregnancy and birthing, and it’s pretty fixed and universal. This is how the body works in that regard. Expect this. Breathe like that. Push now. Baby. And there were a million books…