Tom Painting

Evolution

My son is soon off to college. These days we share intimacies by way of a hug in passing, but forego the goodnight kiss. Recently, I came across a pile of his clothes in the dryer and so decided to fold them. A brief inventory revealed t-shirts with the names of his favorite bands, several with his high school logo—in sizes nearly equal to mine. Shorts, underwear and socks with holes. Still warm, his baby blanket which I touched to my face.

vernal pool
this temporary lease
on life

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About the Author

Tom Painting was born April 1, 1951, in Rochester, New York, and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he teaches junior high humanities at the Paideia School. In addition to bird watching and making slow but steady progress on the acoustic guitar, he hopes to reach the highest elevation points in each of the lower 48 states