Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl

In size 26.5 font, I write, “Another one of my teeth are wiggly,” for Evelyn. Written with an orange Crayola on white sketch paper, I’m not sure who note is for, but seeing her words all crammed together has me thinking: maybe ten minutes a day practicing letters would help. After forgetting to reset theContinue reading “Opa Says A Me”

Every blue moon, I find myself at a dead end in life’s maze. My decisions twist and turn, leading me to an abrupt stop that leaves me feeling lost. Do you ever get caught in that same mindset, until everything you’ve built feels like a house of toothpicks ready to collapse? In counseling sessions, whenContinue reading “An Orchard Is Born”

Evelyn’s off to her first friend sleepover, so Dave and I have the evening to ourselves with a date at the 9 pm Beetlejuice showing. Before movie time, though, I strapped on the Magnum Stihl blower—my own kind of ghost-busting tool! The driveway was littered with leaves and acorns, and at full speed, that blowerContinue reading “Let’s Make A Deal”

I ask myself what I need, but the silence sits heavy, like a weightless answer that’s missing its shape. I don’t know—truth be told, I don’t know anything these days. It’s that low, wistful hum from an indie song that finds my ear, whispering softly, “Before evermore.” She’s right, I suppose, but I turn away,Continue reading “Is There an Answer”

The cotton candy cloud of thought pulls us deeper, where the world feels softer, and lighter, and just as we drift to the other side, we’re met by that shiny black-hatted conductor. He’s polished, like the locomotive we board, and the mustache and white gloves are as crisp as the sound of that ticket tearing.Continue reading “The Ride: A Poem”

On the three-minute drive to my morning walk, there’s a marsh dotted with matchstick tree snags, like skeletal fingers reaching out of the water. Steam rises from the bowl-like surface at dusk, and while my eyes should be on the road, I’m constantly scanning for a bald eagle. Ever since I saw a photo ofContinue reading “The Shapeshifting Self”

I’m at the Georgia Tech football game, the all-white dressed band is on the field with their frilly, elongated hats, cheerleaders are flying through the air, and there’s the unmistakable smell of beer seeping up from the floorboards. Watching it all makes me reflect on my own life—a check-in and check-up from the person IContinue reading “On the Prowl”

I’m feeling down, like Eeyore with his blue body and that nail-tacked tail that always seems to fall off. I can feel it behind my eyes, this weight—heavy. Not quite tired, not quite a zombie, just stuck somewhere in between. A friend of mine heard my symptoms and jokingly diagnosed me as Schrödinger’s Cat: AmContinue reading “Burning Down the House”