By Jim Bates During the first month of lockdown, Courtney, my wife, and I had a family meeting with our three kids. She did the talking. “Okay, the school is setting up for distance learning so that’s what we’ll do. Your father and I have organized our schedules so he will be here on Monday, … Continue reading Cobalt
Strontium
By Jim Bates Sandra Mason was a studious girl who took life seriously, much to the joy of her father, Wallace, a physics teacher at the University of Minnesota. “I’m so proud of Sandy,” he said, coming down the stairs after telling his seven-year-old daughter good night. “She’s just like I used to be at … Continue reading Strontium
Vanadium
By Jim Bates I always wanted to be an airline pilot. My dad was one. My grandfather, too. The fact that both were killed in airplane crashes did not deter my enthusiasm. "I don’t get it, Jerry,” Mom wondered out loud when I was ten years old and told her of my dream. “Why would … Continue reading Vanadium
Aluminum
By Jim Bates I pulled the aluminum canoe up on shore and looked around. We were on a rocky island covered in pine trees on a small lake in the boundary waters of northern Minnesota. We were also lost. Next to me, Harry, my younger brother cupped his hands into the lake and took a … Continue reading Aluminum
Lithium
By Jim Bates My phone rang and I checked the screen. It was Mom. I answered, slightly peeved, “What?” I was in the middle of a wicked game of Fortnite with three other guys I’d met online, and I might have been a little short with her. Her response told I had been, and she … Continue reading Lithium
They Are Seen By Me
By Jim Bates I really do see them, The souls of my dear loved ones, In the form of fluttering butterflies, Dancing across a sunny summer sky, Or in the colorful flowers blooming, Along the paths we walk, The roads less traveled. I see them dipping and diving, Like gulls and terns, Flying free and … Continue reading They Are Seen By Me
Unerring Simplicity
By Jim Bates Life and death,Wrapping around,Pushing and pulling daily,Bring a clarity not seen before.Memory keeps those lost to us alive in our hearts,And joy lifts the spirit, like when cradling a new born child.Today drifts into tomorrow,Where one’s dreams of the futureLie waiting to unfold.Here and now,We live and love,And feel the march of … Continue reading Unerring Simplicity
Your Life
By Jim Bates You live your entire life. You are born and you grow. You go to school. You learn. You make friends and fall in love for the first time. Your heart is broken. You learn to deal with pain. You walk in the woods and learn to stop and feel what Nature … Continue reading Your Life
Three Haiku
By James Bates Butterfly Delight Purple Coneflower Monarch butterfly alights Double delightful. Sunlight Dancing Morning dew sparkles Tiny droplets glistening Sunlight dances wildly. Thirst Springtime misting rain Tender garden shoots reaching Thirstily drinking. Jim lives in a small town twenty miles west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His stories have appeared online in CafeLit, The … Continue reading Three Haiku
Letter Writing
By Jim Bates The week before breaking for the holidays in December Sue Beasley teaches a section on letter writing in her sophomore English class. She always begins this way, "Okay, show of hands. How many of you regularly write letters?" It's a loaded question because it's a rare hand that goes up, especially given … Continue reading Letter Writing
Academy of the Heart And Mind 