Comments on: Home

By: Mary Alexandra Agner

Mary Alexandra Agner — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 14:17:11 +0000

I really loved how the narrator ran the words around in their mouth. It was a moment of question and an attempt at answer, at conclusion, at closure, that I could feel I too have done. Thank you!

By: zhoen

zhoen — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 10:39:14 +0000

I used to gaze into a mirror, looking up, and I would “walk on the ceiling” around and around the house. Home also was, and is, one of those random words, with a floating meaning. I called the barracks home when I was in basic, the other women hooted at me for that. But I figured, warm+ my stuff was there+ good plumbing=home enough.

Beautiful, rather sad, eerily familiar.

By: ruth

ruth — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 02:48:51 +0000

Dale, dale. You are home to me when you write like that! Thank you.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 20:20:41 +0000

Temporary is what I meant. Where do all these typos come from?

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 20:19:41 +0000

Wonderfully evocative, Dale, so well expressed. Imagining the room upside down, I did that too! And the strangeness of words, how they can suddenly look unfamiliar, meaningless. Or laden with mysterious meaning. Certain names repeating in the mind like tunes or mantras – Boutros Boutros Ghali…was that it? That was one. And sometimes the sound of running water speaks in words. But home: what is that? An unfamiliar concept if one has had so many temprary homes.

By: leslee

leslee — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 17:05:24 +0000

Oh, this is delightful! Thank you, Dale. Loved the ending also. Wow.

By: Lorianne

Lorianne — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 16:30:29 +0000

There’s so much to love in this piece. I always thought I was an odd kid to repeat words to myself until they made no sense: perhaps it was early (and intuitive) exposure to mantra practice? In any case, I’m sure I was an odd kid, but at least I now know I wasn’t alone.

And something about that ending knocks my socks off each time I read it…

By: moose

moose — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 11:26:12 +0000

Words have always felt easily untethered to me, frequently jarred loose. Not until reading this, however, have I wondered if it’s related to the dreams I once had of losing teeth. Safe travels to you, Dale, and thank you for the essay. I’ll see you where the foot meets the pavement.

By: Pica

Pica — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 11:01:50 +0000

Thank you for this beautiful portrait. You’ve given me lots to think about (and to look for in the road).

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 09:04:12 +0000

I love, love, love, love, love this! Thank you, Dale.