101 Comments

As a child of immigrants (my dad had been a shepherd, my parents didn’t go to high school), I can really relate. Every choice was the right choice, every choice was the wrong choice. God help me.

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cross promo?

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Thank you for the honesty, the drum beat, and the sheer power and heart of all of your words. In every form - be it poetry, short story, or essay - you make me think deeply and feel honestly. I so appreciate that.

And, yes, that line - "Their full-time job is sadness." One of the most powerful lines I've read in a long time.

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"Their full-time job is sadness." Oof.

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Thank you.

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I seem to remember this... evocative it remains.

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I published it online many years ago.

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The drum, the heartbeat.

Thanks.

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Thank you, Lynne.

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This felt like you narrated a scene from my adolescence, even though I'm Pakistani. Thanks for this <3

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Thank you.

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I never cease to be amazed at your ability to conjure so many emotions with so few words. You are a gift.

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Thank you, Karlynn.

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This was great!! So short, but it gets the message across beautifully. All of the above; so sad!

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Thank you, Neil.

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“Full-time sadness”. Grateful for this story and your words in the world.

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Thank you, Nancy.

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Absolutely love this, Sherman! Been a fan of yours for decades, you still don't disappoint.....

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Thank you for the longtime fanhood, Leon!

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I am touched by your stories. Sometimes my heart is touched and sometimes my funnybone.

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Thank you, Barbara.

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Sherman, you are pulling at my heartstrings. This has so many aspects that touched me. If I reiterated all of them, I would be retelling what you wrote.

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Thank you, Monica.

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Sherman, you r the best!

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Thank you!

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I appreciate so much that you borrowed "grandmother's truck" from her ghost, even three years after she had died. I still nap in the sunny window on mom's bed with her ghost beside me. It will be mom's room and mom's bed until I die. Sherman, I love learning from your stories about life on the reservation. Though I do not identify with it, you write from the heart and there is always a piece of my own heart in your words. Thank you.

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Thank you, Sharron.

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Thank you, Sherman. This is a beautiful short story. I wouldn't change a word (or syllable).

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Thank you, Kathy.

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