(Written 2/3/2004) Dancing in a lifeless world, ambushed by the sins of time The cracks creep through the dusty floor, sharpened by our restless cries. A war of detailed memories once tiptoed through these fields But those faceless knights drew out their swords, and stepping down, the queen gave yield Her crown dropped into a Read More
Category: Writings
Size Ten Shoe
(This piece of flash fiction was published by Every Day Fiction.) She wore a size ten shoe. She could stretch her toes out like a giraffe’s neck without reaching the end of her sneakers, but that was okay as long as none of her classmates had X-ray vision. A size ten was what all the Read More
CounterPunch: What if Your Backyard Was a Slaughterhouse?
(The below comment piece originally appeared on CounterPunch and was then picked up by the Ecologist.) When I was growing up, a popular show on television ventured into the unique backyards of kids across the country who lived adjacent to theme parks, chocolate factories, and any other imaginable delight under the sun. I wanted more than Read More
Video: Horse in Carriage Industry Escapes, Runs Loose in Manhattan
(The following post originally appeared on PETA’s blog.) A horse who is forced to pull carriages through New York City’s congested, noisy streets bolted over the weekend while being bathed on the sidewalk, raced up 11th Avenue in Manhattan with police cars in pursuit, and shocked pedestrians and motorists who were looking on. An eyewitness, Jonathan Read More
One Green Planet: The Plight of the Hermit Crabs
(The below piece was written by me for One Green Planet, where it originally appeared.) Every year around this time, shops lining the beach city boardwalks fill their familiar wire cages with curious critters. Tourist children ogle as golf-ball sized crustaceans cling to the wires, and to one another, with hairy purplish legs and almost menacing, if not so Read More
The Net
In the days when computer screens were the size of microwaves, the internet was an outsider. It was a long-distance friend we called up for advice, disentangled from the center of our struggle. It was an encyclopedia, digitized and condensed into a memory chip. It was anonymity, separated from us by a glass screen. Things Read More
Why I Donned a Lettuce Bikini During the Polar Vortex
This month, temperatures plunged to record-breaking low levels in Virginia. During our 18-degree weather in the region’s “polar vortex” I joined a colleague of mine in a lettuce bikini to hand out free veggie burgers downtown in Norfolk. The Virginian-Pilot was nice enough to send out a shivering reporter to cover our adventure, although he did Read More
Newspaper Reverses Decision to Exclude Same-Sex Wedding Announcement
The below letter was sent to media in my partner’s hometown of Macon, Georgia, after I learned that the local paper refused to publish our same-sex wedding announcement. The story resulted in widespread media coverage in the Georgia Voice and others, with pickup by GLAAD, and even led to a in the aftermath of the Supreme Court Read More
Waterfalls, Not Daffodils
(Written for and read to Rachel at our wedding on August 25, 2012.) Our love is not a blazing yellow daffodil against a sea of grass, boasting 6 perfectly formed, evenly aligned petals more lustrous than the July sun at noon. Nor is it a meticulously cut diamond, three and a half carats of pure Read More
The Green Movement of the 21st Century
(An article for my college newspaper, the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jacket, written in 2007) As a species, humans have been expanding and industrializing for decades, but not until the mid-1900s did we stop to look back at the consequences of our actions. With the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring concerning the harmful effects of pesticides, the environmental movement Read More
A Fight for Clean Water
(Featured in HoneyColony‘s Buzzworthy Blogs here.) I’ve always been enthralled by water. Standing beneath a curtain of water cascading down a mountainside on a chilly morning is among the most invigorating experiences I’ve ever had. There is something magical about the way the water perpetually flows off a cliff, so fresh and crisp, before it Read More
Sentience and Speciesism
(An article written for my college newspaper, the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jacket, in 2009) Most people believe that animals can feel pleasure and pain. We shower our dogs and cats with love, affection, and even birthday gifts, eager for a tail wag or sloppy kisses in return. Conversely, we’re overcome with guilt when our busy feet happen Read More