The Breaking Project

Breaking into the reader’s mind is the beginning of any piece of writing.  It might be as violent as a rock through a window or as subtle as habituation to an alarm clock.  The form of writing that specializes in breaking is poetry.

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Struggling to think of an apt high-school yearbook quote, I suggested Waylon Jennings’, “I’ve been a long-time leaving but I’ll be a long-time gone,” but my mother instead convinced me to use Dickens’, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”  At the time I said something like, “I guess that’s a better quote Mom” and went on my way.  Now in the hindsight of 28 years of experience, my eyes involuntarily fill with tears every time I revisit this moment.  That one word “worst” covers a lot of ground.