There are times I am convinced Anna’s mere presence activates my gout. Other times I wish to hug her. She is taking over my kitchen – my Indian restaurant. She wields her knife like a Shokunin chef, commanding the respect … more »
Holding The Holy Bible in his hands, Hardy Ko feels overwhelmingly flattered. All afternoon, he could not help but read again and again the inscription:
To
Hardy Ko
May this Bible bring you
comfort and joy
From
Miss H. Andrews… more »
A year before I leave him for the last time, we take a trip together. Rachel is three, and we drive down to Maine in the summertime. By this time, I feel as though I am sleep-walking through the most … more »
in memoriam
you watch her heaving chest where you once lay sleeping
hoping for it to last & you keep on thinking of the times
when she left & came back for you crying on the first day
of kindergarten … more »
War was the farthest thing from Maki’s mind even after three years since the war had started in Europe in 1941, as life in Canada had remained peaceful, normal and predictable. People went about their daily activities, raised families and … more »
Nitaro Hamaguchi was born on March 18, 1879 in Kumamoto, Japan. His family was very poor and starving. As the eldest son, his duty was to look after his parents and siblings. He had heard that Canada was a wild, … more »
Winter rushed in uninvited and unexpected. After one or two cold snaps in early December, the Welland Canal froze over. All ships, big and small, stood docked at the Port Dalhousie piers. Without tourists’ presence and sailors’ laughter, the port … more »
My mother and father would never let me keep a dog, but they let me take care of a bear cub.
The cub had the blackest fur, soft and coarse to the touch. It was about three or four weeks … more »
The laundry draped above me. The wires crossed the gap between one building and the next in the starless night. Air conditioning units sat fuming on sills, and my arms swam through the muggy air at every step, laden with … more »
There’s a map of the Philippines that hangs across my bed in a gilded bronze frame. It’s from a 1935 Rand McNally World Atlas. I paid $400 for it ten years ago at an antique shop in Toronto because the … more »
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