There’s a utilities easement not far away from where we live. When we first moved there, it was a decent sort of meadow, full of fire ant hills and nasty burs and waist-high thorny bushes and other things that want to stab you. Still, all naturally occurring parts of the Central Texas ecosystem.
Now, I like nature, but I lack exhaustive knowledge. For someone who really understands the urban wilderness, you need to read Chris Brown’s newsletter. Here’s what I do know: at some point about five years ago, the city (or someone) put down some serious herbicide. It wiped out everything in the field. Not the fire ants, but other flora and fauna like field mice and wildflowers and all the waist-high weeds.
Texas plant life being what it is, it’s all come back now. But meanwhile, without any roots to hold the top soil in place, runoff from several torrential rains carved a little canyon-in-the-making in the field.
That’s about mid-thigh on me, if I’m standing in it.
Here’s the metaphor part of this post: Rejection hits. It’s lousy. It rips gashes in parts of us we didn’t even know were vulnerable.
But look at the contours that are left! Look what can be discovered next.
Recent reads I’ve enjoyed: as usual, I’ve been splitting my reading time between genre fun and Intense Things:
- Ross Gay’s Inciting Joy. A poet’s take on the shared territory of grief and joy.
- K. J. Parker’s Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City. Not beyond criticism for its portrayal of certain characters, but a fun read with a great voice.
- Sophie Irwin’s A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting. A clean romance in the style of Georgette Heyer, with charming leads.
- Paul Theroux’s On the Plain of Snakes. A journey along the U.S.-Mexico border and into the interior.
Elizabeth Cobbe's Author Site 