Hangry Chickens
I walk out of the shed in my parent’s backyard and hear chickens in the distance.
“cock, cock-cock-cock”
Category: Essays
These are Tyler Housley’s short-form essays.
Blinders
I tried to be a friend and therapist for several creatives; I failed miserably at both. Although there are similar aspects to each role—such as attentive listening and encouragement—there are mutually exclusive traits as well.
The Price of Peace
The sun is shining and the birds are singing. I’m gathering my family’s empty soda cans to take them to a recycling center in Hayward, CA. I kept postponing this trip, because they closed all the recycling centers in my hometown of Castro Valley — attempting to purge the homeless blight.
East County
While attending San Diego State University, I lived with three other guys in Spring Valley, southeast of San Diego. It wasn’t the greatest area: every other week, there’d be a stolen car sitting on the cross-street before our cul-de-sac; but our neighbors were nice, and when we planned our parties, …
What’s a Spider?
I met my first Australians while attending college at San Diego State University. The guys were muscle-bound, chill dudes—similar to the laid-back surfer bros of southern California. Whereas the ladies were snappy and straight to the point—sarcasm, idle chit-chat—nope, never.
Stan
I’m at a family friend’s wedding with my brother, parents, and girlfriend—tucked into the hills along Highway 1, not too far from Hearst Castle. The ceremony is pleasant—despite the ungodly summer heat. Family and friends deliver speeches; the pastor goes through the motions; then we walk a half mile down a dirt path towards a barn, where the reception dinner is awaiting our arrival.
Solidarity
We aren’t free. while someone’s knee is on our neck, our hands are cuffed, and three others stare silently. Reduced to squirming like worms, we bellow like the day we were born into this unjust world. Ignorance and complacency are two of the greatest ills of our society. Fortunately, the …