Article Archives: Words with Woods

The Blossoming of Language

February 3, 2022 | by CJ Woods III

“Will you hold me, help me go upstairs?” The 3.0 version of my youngest granddaughter clung to me as I rose from the bed where we had been “hiding together” under the covers, playing with a flashlight. We counted the twelve steps upward, pausing at eleven so that we could … Read More

I Apologize

January 27, 2022 | by CJ Woods III

The bus stop I was standing at in Indianapolis has a sign: “Your neighbor helps you to keep this shelter clean. Please use the trash can.” On the sign is a picture of my neighbor, someone I do not recognize. The ground around the bus shelter is littered with trash, … Read More

Hack and Crack

January 20, 2022 | by CJ Woods III

My friend and I were sitting at the bar of our favorite cidery, having a tasty beverage and idly watching the muted big-screen TV mounted on the wall before us. I read some of the closed-captioned words on what appeared to be a cooking show and I suddenly became animated. … Read More

The Moaning of the Train

January 13, 2022 | by CJ Woods III

The train moaned an alert at 4:35 in the morning; I know this because I was awake. I’ve heard the alert during the daylight hours and when I do, will often cry out to my 3.7-year-old granddaughter, “Train!” Myah does not know a train in the way that I do; … Read More

Good Night, Steve

January 6, 2022 | by CJ Woods III

“What are your three favorite movies?” My friend Steve Nicewanger posed that question to me one night as I sat at his dinner table with his bride, Paula. As we moved from the feast and into the living room to watch some TV, I pondered the question. I tossed out … Read More