Mike Freeman

Gratitude for Autumn Leaves, Walking Today, in my silence, I can hear late September speaking with New England tongues to my open hands. Gratitude blossoms in colors; green and yellow, early russet and flaming orange. Thanking you again, Divine, Mother and Father of the cycles that root and sustain us,. With each step I move, awed, into my dailiness, soles crunching last season's clothing into the hungry ground. --Melinda Coppola

AOOLE DAYS Don’t groan. There is room for another apple poem. No one is counting how many have been penned, sung, stamped into books and magazines. There is no quota for recipes with or without the skins, tart and sweet, red and green, that glorify the juicy firm insides, palest yellow around their seeds which radiate like tiny tear shaped chestnuts from mysterious beginnings. Yes, I’ve picked them. Traipsed up and down manicured rows of trees, deceptively stout, prolific. I’ve washed them lovingly, held some in my cupped hands, marveling at their perfection. Some I’ve eaten whole, others sliced, arranged artfully on small white plates to entice my he and my her to partake. I’ve baked my share of crisps and pies, made thick, pruney compote, rendered sweetly honeyed ones into cakes that nod to autumn and Rosh Hashanah. Truth is, after my gall bladder became medical waste— quite needlessly, I now believe— after that my romps with raw pommes de terre were over. For years I could not digest them unless cooked beyond reason, mashed to runny sauce that bore little trace of their glorious beginnings. Then I discovered digestive enzymes which made miracles happen between my gut and the apples. Those grainy, odd tasting chewables arrive, now, in dark jars and by subscription, so my apple days may continue. Perhaps I should poem of them— "An Ode to Cellulase and Amylase, Protease and Papain" Might that bring readers galore, all rushing to chew on my earnest words? --Melinda Coppola

@The_Big_Quiet Finally had time for your YR piece. Loved it. Just terrific stuff. Will share it with friends here. Their daughter got a comparatively late diagnosis at 13 and it’s had a positive effect on all of them.

@evornithology They eeked out a .500 season for him.

They don’t make em like this anymore. Thank you Joe! 😭

@Srirachachau Doubt Lifetime will be picking up the rights.

Kinda nice to have no sympathy for anyone in a story

@rhodyknowsbest Spent the afternoon walking all over it. Perfect day in a great city.

Turned out to be a nice day in my favorite little city. #Providence

@evornithology Just bananas how small neotrops are. Found a DOR parula this spring and it barely seemed substantial. That they fly so far twice a year makes it triple bananas.

From the ethereal mist, a beacon of hope. I swear I could hear this Magnolia Warbler whisper, “We’re gonna be OK.” 🌤️ 📷 Marley Wong

@seeshespeak Astonishingly beautiful state. Such a different feel than the equally gorgeous Greens Mountains.

About to yuck up your timeline with some New Hampshire, sorry

@MattGertz Ignore the fake news haters, Congressman! Stay strong!!

oh no

@drvolts Twitter had a hell of a day at sea yesterday.

ewwwww

@BobbyBigWheel Some mighty prescient replies to that tweet.

@JuliusGoat Guessing the NYT will go with ‘embattled gadfly.’

Marc “some people need killing” Robinson is a Republican, so the Nazi stuff was implied, as was being the sort of person who leaves reviews on porn videos. Nevertheless it’s good that maybe the media will now start covering him as a Nazi.

@aliner Tidy little description of parenting tbh.

I’m totally guilty of getting caught up in the ecosystem, and then spiraling downward and wanting to never write anything again. None of this is easy. Nothing except the constant self-loathing is easy for me.

Note to self: review minor writers going forward. The literary it girl industry relies on visibility; it articulates a ‘uniqueness’ aligned to status. Ultimately, the critic has to address the fan ecosystem surrounding the book. If visibility is the It’s win, what is literature?

@proffwolff The Spouter Inn

Sorry, class and all meetings are canceled. My dogs are cuddling.

@ashleyrattner Tisbury’s finest harpooneer.

If you say the words "historic parking lot" with your actual mouth you should turn to salt on the spot.

@HollyPelesky Grace 2024

@theliamnissan They’re not without a point though, Liam. Ok, hear me out - Dark Man II: Geriatrica I mean, right?!? Ok. Call me.

😭

@JaneMayerNYer i see

Judge Aileen Cannon Failed to Disclose a Right-Wing Junket propublica.org/article/judge-…

@SarahTaber_bww Ol’ Jeremiah Johnson there really stepped in it.

What was on that grill? Chicken. 🐓 Cats don't have wings. #FarmLife #Agriculture