For some time now I’ve been asking myself why. Why did I choose to work a ten week stint as an animal caregiver at Farm Sanctuary? Even some of my best friends have looked at me all confused as if my choice contradicted, well, something. Before I arrived, I had a quick answer that rolled off my tongue—I sought intentional separation from real life where … Continue reading The Edge is a Gift
I’m awake before my eyes are open. There’s an echo of banging in my mind. A sound memory. I didn’t hear it as it happened, but now I’m aware how badly I need to piss. Or maybe that’s what woke me up and the first place? My windows whistle, the pressure outside sucks my closed bedroom door tight against the jamb. It’s a soft pressing, … Continue reading Sleepwalk
Since starting my temporary position at Farm Sanctuary on December 15th, I’ve mostly been responsible for the daily feedings of the 400+ animals. This sounds like a lot, but considering that many animals are free-fed birds, it’s actually a manageable number. I learned quickly, however, that I’d need to hustle, big time, to get everything done. It also benefits me to act like I know … Continue reading A Mile in Their Hooves
Today, the first day of the new year, I cleaned a chicken’s asshole. Don’t think I need to say this was my first time, but it was. After gloving up, I identified the chicken needing a thorough wiping. I grabbed her by the tail and carefully held her steady with two hands before tucking her under my left arm. Then, using a handling technique taught … Continue reading Cleaning a Chicken’s Butthole
I asked the shop owner if she wouldn’t mind explaining the significance of the Portuguese rooster motif. She locked her arms on the checkout counter and leaned forward, eyeballing me over her glasses. “Yes, I would mind. It’s a stupid story. If you really want to know, it’s on a poster in the corner. Have at it.” I read it, and she was right. As … Continue reading A Month in Morocco (Final Entry): My Foreign Home
As I sifted through a pile of second-hand sweaters on the sidewalk, two children, maybe eight or nine years old, extended their dirty hands towards me. One wore a tank top and greasy cut off khakis, the other was dressed in oversized shorts and a coat branded across the chest with orange letters J-A-C and K-E-T split by the zipper. Both held an empty plastic … Continue reading A Month in Morocco: Hijacked
I napped while the train rolled north along the west coast. As the steel wheels lumbered along rust-pitted tracks, I dreamed of men shouting at me in Arabic. I woke up confused—and a look out the window made me think of Baja. Trash fires dotted the sandy, barren stretches while kids on ratty bicycles rode along the parallel tracks, throwing rocks. The ocean was flat … Continue reading A Month in Morocco: To Be a Better Man
I arrived in Volubilis at 8am. The heavy Mediterranean fog mixed with smoke from brick factories shrouded the ghostly columns on distant hilltops. Not until I was about to leave did the clouds finally burn off and offer a panoramic view of the 2300 year old ruined city that once housed more than 20,000 people. The sun brought to life intricate bath mosaics and mythological … Continue reading A Month in Morocco: When in Rome…
In the Fez train station I read Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley while occasionally looking up to watch people. Transportation hubs always offer a sense of relief. They’re filled with temporary people from all around the world and the expectation to comply with local customs is largely eschewed. The three shops in the station are bathed in neon and have westernized names: Smoothie Rail, Venezia Ice, … Continue reading A Month in Morocco: Vacilando
It’s 4:30am when my bus arrives in Fez. A taxi brings me to the hotel I stayed in two weeks ago, but a scribbled note taped to the locked door says they’re full. I’m not surprised— it’s Christmas Eve and I’ve already noticed an influx of tourists. I shoo a couple cats off the stoop and nestle into a corner that smells like piss. I’m … Continue reading A Month in Morocco: Topped Off With a Kiss
Tom Griffen 
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