“Remedial Work” by Karen Miller


Sometimes you feel a little
cranky without any particular cause:
you want to kick the cat for having
whiskers or yell at someone for
breathing too loud.

You know it’s not reasonable
but who cares: its
like the whole world is chewing
with an open mouth, making
squeaky sounds on the

blackboard and just won’t stop.
In such a case, it’s good to have an outlet
for your petulance, something
you can do alone so you don’t
alienate everyone else, like
chopping wood

or digging a grave.
Personally, I find that
there’s nothing like the presence of
death to get me in a better mood.


Karen Miller is a 76 year old retired lawyer living on Lake Champlain in Vermont with her cranky but lovable husband and Izzy the cat. In the summer she gardens and swims. In the winter she looks out the window.