Charles van Heck

  • Lloyd Austin Misses the Point

    The U.S. military must also learn from the war with Iran, which is already one of the most consequential conflicts in decades.  Lloyd Austin The keyword, one easily skimmed over in Lloyd Austin’s New York Times opinion piece of 7… Continue reading

  • Museum Exhibit: Seven Japanese Paintings

    POETRY ichi (いち)Cherry blossoms—Moonlight so pureThe dew is unseen.ni (に)Summer breeze—The music of wind chimes;Black kitten cocks her head.san (さん)Clouds gather in the southern sky.Reeds motionless in the humid air.White birds circle waves of enfolding hands. An old man in… Continue reading

  • Time and Time Again

    A Poem On the third day, when morning comesOn the breath of songs birds sing,Three women enter the lower gardenTo cleanse their dead, but discover an empty tomb.The grave is what holds us, not thoseWomen who found the courage to… Continue reading

  • Food and Remembrance: The Parallels of Faith

    Do you eat with intent? In my parents’ house, our evening meals were served precisely at 5 o’clock.  We gathered at the table, recited a blessing, then dined together as a family. There was an understanding that my father’s employment… Continue reading

  • Wiser Thursday and Random Thoughts

    I am a person of habits. These routines undergo modification to accommodate others, and, reluctantly, are made with a begrudged concession to age and health. These patterns of behavior are most evident on Fridays. This week, however, my Thursday was… Continue reading

  • The Coyote and the Raven

    A Reflection on Relationships A coyote’s high pitched yelping from the back pasture woke me at 2:15 this morning. They, like all creatures, play a role in our biodiversity and are crucial to the balance of our environment. There is… Continue reading

  • Random Thoughts on Writing

    March is a transformative month, though I doubt anyone can say with certainty what the month is transforming into. In the course of a few days, Winter and Spring have seemed to be like unsynchronized and unintentional ballroom dancers stepping… Continue reading

  • Notes on a Sketch Made at a Pasture’s Edge

    Half moon in a lake blue skyReflecting cloudsCrows circling shadowsOver cut paths of SeptemberDry hay bales shade wovenPurplish blue on a broad flank hillAt the field’s edge Queen Anne’s Lace Butter-colored golden rodsSeed laden milkweedsWaiting on the stalled breathOf a… Continue reading

  • Canada, an Off-Islander’s Perspective

    “Home,” as the saying goes, “is where the heart is.” Tony Bennet may have left his heart in San Francisco, but pieces of my heart have been left in various places. I have lived in eight states, meeting a wide… Continue reading

  • When Love Seeks Understanding and Forgiveness

    Who By Fire A novel by Mary L. Tabor Novels, particularly well written ones, create an atmosphere that readers can breathe as they walk through a landscape in which they encounter strangers. We question who the characters are as we… Continue reading