Article Archives: Words with Woods

Exquisite Misery

August 12, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

The running man wore a rictus of pain but forced a greeting through it as he passed me. “Good morning” he gasped, raising his hand in greeting. As we continued in opposite directions in opposite ways — he, running and I, walking — I wondered yet again about this self-inflicted … Read More

Falling Back

August 5, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

Most young children have been required to have received a vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough) since the late 1940s. The exceptions to this have been rare, with most of those excused citing religious convictions. In the 1950s, the citizens of the country were routinely vaccinated against smallpox, … Read More

An Uncivil War

July 29, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

A social media neighborhood association that I belong to is a delightful source of amusement to me, though there are many other members who rely on it for suggestions and answers to serious inquiries. I’ll not characterize those questions and answers here, but just as the Indiana Department of Transportation … Read More

Code Switching

July 22, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

“You have a good vocabulary,” the man said to my youngest daughter. Lauren responded, “My father is the Master of the Language.” The man’s sarcastic rejoinder was, “Self-described?” Lauren’s reply was to the effect that her father could back up the boast. When I was an artist for an electrical … Read More

CJ And The Bee

July 15, 2021 | by CJ Woods III

A friend’s e-mail asked if I could spell the word “murraya.” I laughed, thinking that practically every literate person could now spell the word after learning that 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde spelled it correctly, and became the first African-American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. I have plans to meet … Read More