Tag Archives: prose

A Memoir of Loving & Losing a Dog

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I’m celebrating the release of my dear friend DS LEVY’S latest book.
DS offers up her heart to all of us who have experienced the loss of a beloved pet. This book is a gorgeously written love letter to Charlie and to us.

“a nonfiction collection of flash essays about my dog Charlie. A tender story of pet loss, grief and the unbreakable bond between human and dog, My Buddy Charlie is a collection of short reflections on the life of a beloved dog—and the quiet devastation of losing him. Told in gentle vignettes, this memoir traces the everyday moments that make a dog unforgettable: the routines, the quirks, the companionship that becomes so woven into daily life you hardly notice it… until it’s gone. Charlie was more than a pet. He was a presence. A rhythm. A kind of steady love. And when that love disappeared, the silence the writer feels is unbearable. Through memory, photographs, and small, deeply personal moments, this book explores what it means to grieve a dog—not just in the immediate aftermath, but in the days and weeks that follow, when the world continues on as if nothing has changed. This is not a guide to “getting over” loss. It is a companion for those moving through it. For anyone who has ever loved a dog and had to say goodbye, you will recognize yourself here.”

Paperback and Kindle available on Amazon

Thoughts while thinking & repeating

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I originally posted this in 2018, my words remain beneath the snow and in the clouds

I am a loyal American & this is my CREDO

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After getting through the news each morning, I read the Credo taped to my studio wall. This is the America I want my children to have. This is why I protest…why I write letters…

“In a time when labels are weaponized and dissent is recast as danger, I choose to define myself—before others try to do it for me.” —James B. Greenberg
James B. Greenberg’s Credo (James Substack entry, August 5, 2025)


How I’d love others to share Mr. Greenberg’s Credo – to keep us going – to keep us fighting back – to keep us AMERICAN

Facebook’s Inane Query…

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Facebook asks, “What’s on your mind?”
An inane query meant to incentivize us to keep posting as if we need reminding that our brains function with thoughts…

This morning I answered “What’s on my mind?”
with this-
Flying Squirrels

The beauty of swirling dying color against the relentless blue of earth makes furry little animals magical

I created this flying squirrel with Tombow watercolor markers (quite wonderful) and a touch of Prisma pencil (buttery color pencils) for details. The photo background was added using the Canva program (the poor artist’s Adobe)

Thank you,
am:)

God is a clock-tick, tick, tick

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Despair is a fast trade commodity these days. I post these words-because I do despair-but I’m not giving up. Writing like this helps me face my fears-and once you face the monster-you see the best ways to defeat it…

onward & upward
am:)

Big Brown Eyes

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Ah, back when my son was little, and each daily word and thought was ‘mom-ish’

Satellite Dish Inspired Prose

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sipping coffee at 5 am while looking at a neighbor’s satellite dish (which to me resembles a sun warrior beseeching the sky for hope)

Badass

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A gleaming motorcycle arrived via flatbed to our suburban ranch. Six children are warned not to touch its chrome and attitude. Dad has never ridden a motorcycle before. He tells us he’ll be back later — he’s taking the bike across the George Washington Bridge. Wearing a button-up shirt, plaid Bermuda shorts, black knee socks and brown loafers, no one ever looked more badass.

this thing called New Year

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reconstructed resolutions lower the ball to the ground
the ball won’t rise again till the crowds gather next year
when the lovers and the true believers return in celebration
when the partiers piss and vomit on sidewalks and in alleys


My Resolution(s)
this year I’ve gotten better at accepting multiple versions
I’ve barreled through decades and broken over waterfalls
I’m pumped to shred the rowing muscles

this year I’m shoving specific plans into my eye sockets
not the usual well-formed outtakes, no more excuses
—here—I wonder if I’m bull-shitting myself with words as I often do

or maybe, I’ve gone and done it—reshaping thoughts into tangibles
maybe I have, because this morning, facial recognition can’t recognize me
could it be this year’s resolution, this thinning skin I wake in each day more
forcing my handheld device to decide who I am?

but…my new phone requires an app update…
I remain the same (use your words, AM)…

time carries the words, the dreams, the light
she throws down faster than a gaudy ball dropping on a bombastic evening
she grinds to enjoy a loved one’s pain
she grins as voyeur to our last moments
she slows if I watch her red digital clock counting down as my soup warms

I’ve come to realize this—dreams, words
the very pace of time is up to me, to you
when these things travel swiftly, we’re doing good work
busied our worlds between seconds, minutes, hours

this morning, I placed flint sparks in my pockets

today we will do good work
we will shoot firecrackers to light the night sky
we will dirty the dark street a little to say—we were here
to see, to smell, to hear, to taste, to touch
every burning color of this moment called life