The Trick I could have turned back. My mind screamed
at me to turn back. But the awe on the students' faces told me
I couldn't back out now.
Hop on
the Horse Their almond-shaped eyes were shut tight
as they mustered all the strength they had to steer the silver
wheel before them.
Education
in India My mother once had to hold a heavy book
in her hands with her arms stretched out for coming to class
late.
My
English Professor His eyes moved from left to right with
astonishing speed, his hands flipped page, after page, with eager
anticipation, and his body sunk deep into the chair, as my essay
developed and took on the form of literary art.
The
Shades in Between Our relationship limped along like a wounded
animal; it laid down, got up and shambled around, laid down again,
and then it finally died.
Prejudice
and Pride At this time, my appearance was one of
the few areas of my life I still felt I had control of. I attracted
little or no attention from men, which lessened the threat of
violence.
My
Admirable Grandpa Grigory He always started with our favorite Russian
songs, Moros, about the beauty of Russia's great nature. The
voice of my grandpa was very nice and clear and sounded so deep
and tender that the hearts of everybody were filled with warmth.
We Were
Soldiers His lucky charm was a penny given to him
by another soldier. Captain Nolen carried the penny in his left
shirt pocket and had he not, he would have been shot through
the heart and killed.
Why
Emus Don't Make Good House Pets All of a sudden the emu jumped up and
delivered a front kick to my mother's ribs much like the trinity
kick in Matrix.
Busted! Everyone has skeletons in a closet, a
locked box, or possibly under a mound of dirt, deep behind a
shed. It's a good thing I have a large closet.
Der Zauberberg
(The Magic Mountain) With its soliloquy-like arias, literary
leitmotifs, and contrapuntal symbolic-realism, The Magic Mountain
reads like an opera.
The
Bipolar Child: How the Illness Affects the Family In fact, parents of bipolar children are
often doing their best while bewildered, exhausted, frustrated,
and in some cases, afraid of their own children's violent impulses.