Gerald Fleming: Two Somethings
He could have run marathons, triathlons, could have blundered through densest jungles barefoot, quick-macheted, and not been prepared for this. He could have caressed the skin of a hundred women or men, every texture, every shade, but now this….
Gerald Fleming: The Secret
The man had the sense the secret was planning escape.
Video: Michelle Obama Rallies for Harris in Kalamazoo
Former first lady Michelle Obama spoke at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Kalamazoo, Michigan on October 26, 2024.
Gerald Fleming: On Ascension Thursday
Young prodigy. Has a way with words. Brings someone out of a coma. Preaches peace, rages against bankers, tries his hand at carpentry, sexy woman loves him, meets his friends for dinner every week, they drink wine, talk, he says smart things, then, random as the rest of us, he’s killed. Gets to ascend to heaven.
Gerald Fleming: This Beauty
—after Uvalde It comes from nowhere, this beauty: attacks. In the dirt-road alley, walking with my four-year-old grandson, a stone wall, formed & fitted well by human hands, and on … Continue reading
Paul Christensen: Back in France
When we pushed open the door to our village house, an old familiar odor of sun-warmed plaster rose up to us as if to give us an embrace.
Gerald Fleming: Work
Today you’ll work in the room behind the barn. For years there’s been a stain on the sheetrock where the rain drips in, and the place smells of rot, and when the other day you yanked off a chunk of sheetrock, thinking might be rotten wood in there, thinking you’d maybe have to replace a few studs, you found, in that damp place, everything rotten.
Gerald Fleming: City of Breath
People here stop and listen to children’s conversations. People here not only wait in line—say, at the bakery—but in that line come to agreement as to who rightly should go first—the frail old man, for instance, who has trouble with his legs, the mother who needs to hurry home & cook, the busboy from the café sent to buy more bread for a sudden crowd, and only then the couple, plenty of time, buying bread for dinner.
Christine Skarbek: Oh, Poland!
My buddy Yolanta invited me over to Park Café to listen to this wizard on the piano, a 17-yr old skinny fellow. I cannot tell you how thin this character was or, for that matter, how long and tapered his fingers and what a master he was at the ivories.
Gerald Fleming: About Stone
If you are not honest, stone will make you honest. Lifting it, breaking it, fitting it. The work is mostly quiet—the main sound the sound of stone against stone. The work is close to the ground.
Gerald Fleming: Goodnight, Monsieur Yves Faucher, Wherever You Are
On Jazz in Paris My jazzy heart is broken. After many months away, we’ve returned to find the jazz club we’ve loved for fourteen years on rue Lepic gone. Autour … Continue reading
Gerald Fleming: To My Student Kenny, Before the Inauguration of Donald Trump
Who will speak these days, if not I, if not you? —Muriel Rukeyser . November 9, 2016 Mr. Fleming, I can’t believe what happened last night. I am shocked, … Continue reading
Gerald Fleming: A Thanksgiving Prayer for America
Lord, let us first ask you to bless this table: for the weight of the feast it must bear. As you know, Lord, we have lately had an election in … Continue reading
Gerald Fleming: A Letter to My Republican Friend
I’m sorry I’ve been so long in responding since you sent that last note just after July’s Republican convention, when your guy was nominated. “This’ll be a lot of fun!” … Continue reading
