On the rocks

February 11, 2014January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 16 Comments

Several years ago, WordPress introduced a Reblog function. If readers want a post from another site, click a button and it's published, in an abbreviated form (55 words), on their site. Attribution and a direct link to the original post is included, but so is any photo that is featured at the top of the … Continue reading On the rocks

Self expression

February 7, 2014January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 17 Comments

I loath having my photo taken. Forget water-boarding, bamboo splinters under my fingernails, heavy metal blasted at 11, or even sleep deprivation (been there, doing that), the worst form of torture is posing for a portrait. I've been brought to tears before because I couldn't escape a camera aimed at me. Want to piss me … Continue reading Self expression

Contractual obligations

February 5, 2014January 12, 2016 ~ Tara R. ~ 13 Comments

It was years since I'd been here. Walking among the weathered stones, I realized I was lost. None of the names were familiar, when once I could recited them like a favorite nursery rhyme. At the end of the north side, I finally found the kneeling angel facing the Woodmen totem. Turning to the east, … Continue reading Contractual obligations

Legend

January 20, 2014January 20, 2014 ~ Tara R. ~ 12 Comments

She was larger than life. A goddess of courage and virtue, intellect and strength. In the eyes of my mother, her martyred baby sister could do no wrong. I grew up living with her name, and failing in my attempts to live up to her legacy. My bedtime stories were tales of her adventures, my … Continue reading Legend

In a dark mirror

January 16, 2014 ~ Tara R. ~ 6 Comments

I walked through the house like a wraith. I barely noticed the furniture covered in stained and worn movers' tarps. Framed oil paintings on the floor leaned against the wall in haphazard order. Bright squares spotlighted where they once hung. The surrounding faded paint showed more than age and neglect. Dust motes danced in the … Continue reading In a dark mirror

Beginning

January 5, 2014January 5, 2014 ~ Tara R. ~ 6 Comments

Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi The time has come to not … Continue reading Beginning