The black man who approached from the rear of the gathering at my father's burial looked to be one hundred years old. He was frail, but not bent. He walked haltingly, supported by two black ... [+]
Birds, Circling, Everywhere
Matthew Hose is a writer, journalist, and teacher based in San Francisco. He can be reached at matthose372@gmail.com or on Twitter at @matt_hose. "Birds, Circling, Everything" was selected as a finalist in BART Lines contest, 2022.
Tomorrow will mark a year since I had my stroke. It's an occasion that, according to my daughter, Ginny, I should view as important. But I've spent enough time staring at death; I don't want to think about the 364 days behind me. The only thing I care about right now is the dirt track ahead of me and the fog that's just hit the tops of the eucalyptus trees.I'm leaning against a cane on the gravel track that forms a circle above the old polo field at Golden Gate Park. Ginny is swiping around on her cell phone on a bench just behind me. Around us, a dozen or so strangers walk, bike, and run arou