August 15, 2026
August 1, 2026
Penmanship
Postcard: Appalachian Scenic Highway, Crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains
Linen Era (1930-1945), postmarked 1941
Linen Era (1930-1945), postmarked 1941
Penmanship
For the young person
who stood staring blankly
at the old postcard
the message on the back
could have been written
in a foreign language.
Maybe a form of shorthand
or it could be encrypted,
perhaps an ancient glyph
whose cypher has been lost,
certainly a long-ago language
now impossible to comprehend.
But I remember school days
spent learning to write in cursive
practicing the joining of letters
to create a flowing script
patterned after the alphabet
in cursive hanging on the wall.
The postcard with its words
elegantly and painstakingly
written from edge to edge
whether ornamental or elegant,
conventional or personal in style,
is now in need of a translator.
— Dan Hardison
For the young person
who stood staring blankly
at the old postcard
the message on the back
could have been written
in a foreign language.
Maybe a form of shorthand
or it could be encrypted,
perhaps an ancient glyph
whose cypher has been lost,
certainly a long-ago language
now impossible to comprehend.
But I remember school days
spent learning to write in cursive
practicing the joining of letters
to create a flowing script
patterned after the alphabet
in cursive hanging on the wall.
The postcard with its words
elegantly and painstakingly
written from edge to edge
whether ornamental or elegant,
conventional or personal in style,
is now in need of a translator.
— Dan Hardison
Translation:
Took a seven mile
hike up the mtn.
to a place called
the Eagle’s Nest &
am still alive to tell
the story. This is
lovely country & I’m
having a grand time
taking in the sights.
Eleanore
Took a seven mile
hike up the mtn.
to a place called
the Eagle’s Nest &
am still alive to tell
the story. This is
lovely country & I’m
having a grand time
taking in the sights.
Eleanore
July 5, 2026
June 28, 2026
A Boy Feeds the Koi
A Boy Feeds the Koi
The people passing by
are no strangers to the koi
living in the pond;
anyone and everyone
is a friend in waiting.
As a young boy
approached the water’s edge
the surface erupted;
fish of all colors and sizes
congregated at his feet.
As the koi jostled for position
the boy took a handful
of fish kibble and skimmed it
across the water’s surface
sending them into a frenzy.
The boy and the fish dancing
to music only they could hear
a call and response again and again
until the food was gone and they
each took a bow and fell silent.
The people passing by
are no strangers to the koi
living in the pond;
anyone and everyone
is a friend in waiting.
As a young boy
approached the water’s edge
the surface erupted;
fish of all colors and sizes
congregated at his feet.
As the koi jostled for position
the boy took a handful
of fish kibble and skimmed it
across the water’s surface
sending them into a frenzy.
The boy and the fish dancing
to music only they could hear
a call and response again and again
until the food was gone and they
each took a bow and fell silent.
— Dan Hardison
Image: Carp with Wisteria by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
woodblock 1889
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Ekphrastic Review
June 2026
Image: Carp with Wisteria by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi woodblock 1889
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Ekphrastic Review
June 2026
June 20, 2026
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