On September 4, Jihong and I delivered Nathan to college for his sophomore year. An hour after we unloaded his stuff at the dorm, Nathan auditioned on his cello for a seat in the symphonic…
Phyllis Cole-DaiSeptember 19, 2022
Imagine yourself holding a hammer. Now, strike your hammer against a big pane of tempered glass. Watch the glass shatter into thousands of crystalline pieces, dropping all around your feet. Hear the initial crash of…
Phyllis Cole-DaiSeptember 13, 2022
Eden is nine years old. Her family lives across the street from Annette Langlois Grunseth, a dear friend of mine who, in her seventies, is a beautiful ball of energy. Eden and Annette have turned…
Phyllis Cole-DaiSeptember 4, 2022
In the July 10 edition of Staying Power, I told you about “Humanity Present,” an opportunity for shared, silent gazing that I intend to offer in a public setting, here where I reside. Planning for…
Phyllis Cole-DaiAugust 22, 2022
One wintry day, long ago, I had the privilege of visiting with a woman I'll call Rose. Ninety-five years old, she was recovering from a broken hip at the home of her daughter, a good…
Phyllis Cole-DaiAugust 15, 2022
This weekend I’m retreating at the home of my friend and co-editor Ruby Wilson to assemble the second volume of Poetry of Presence (forthcoming, May, 2022). Without question, this is my favorite part of creating…
Phyllis Cole-DaiAugust 8, 2022
Dear Julie, Thank you for your sweet note concerning my work. Thank you, too, for entrusting me with this question that’s been weighing on your heart: “How does one hold both grief and joy at…
Phyllis Cole-DaiJuly 25, 2022
This is a follow-up to last week’s musing, titled “Would You Sit in the Chair?” In case you missed that, or it's fuzzy in your memory, let me quickly recap: I intend to find a public…
Phyllis Cole-DaiJuly 19, 2022
Wending your way through an art museum, you come to a gallery with two wooden chairs in the center. A small table separates them. White tape on the floor delimits a large square around the…
Phyllis Cole-DaiJuly 11, 2022
On the same Friday that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, my family headed to a weekend jazz festival in St. Paul, Minnesota, around four hours from home. We needed distraction. We needed music.…
Phyllis Cole-DaiJuly 4, 2022
Every day is one-of-a-kind, special in its very own way. But last Sunday was extra special in the U.S., where many of us celebrated both Father's Day and Juneteenth. To honor the occasion, I offer you…
Phyllis Cole-DaiJune 20, 2022
Don is a 90-year-old retired firefighter. He lives in a condo on the 10th floor of an apartment building in a bustling suburb of Washington, DC. Five years ago, Don sent me an email—another stranger,…
Phyllis Cole-DaiJune 13, 2022
