Author Archives: paulefallon

About paulefallon

Greetings reader. I am a writer, architect, cyclist and father from Cambridge, MA. My primary blog, theawkwardpose.com is an archive of all my published writing. The title refers to a sequence of three yoga positions that increase focus and build strength by shifting the body’s center of gravity. The objective is balance without stability. My writing addresses opposing tension in our world, and my attempt to find balance through understanding that opposition. During 2015-2106 I am cycling through all 48 mainland United States and asking the question "How will we live tomorrow?" That journey is chronicled in a dedicated blog, www.howwillwelivetomorrw.com, that includes personal writing related to my adventure as well as others' responses to my question. Thank you for visiting.

What’s Going on in Haiti?

Ten years ago this month I completed the first great adventure of my life: designing and supervising the construction of two buildings in Grand Goave, Haiti following the 2010 earthquake that devastated that country. My work on the Mission of … Continue reading

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The Opportunity—and Tyranny—of Life in a One-Party State

Today Maura Healey is being sworn in as Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and I am officially living in a one-party state. Nationally, I am represented by a Democratic President, two Democratic Senators (Warren and Markey), and a Democratic … Continue reading

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Wish for the New Year

I want to live in a world where every baby is wanted. I want to live in a world where every child is nurtured with love, self-control, and self-respect. I want to live in a world where a parent who … Continue reading

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TransHoliday

Over the past two years I have enjoyed a unique relationship with a trans person. Let’s call them Burt. Burt is half my age; years marked by violence and isolation. What commonalities we share—each of us are fathers—are shattered by … Continue reading

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Progressive Exaggerations to a Fault

“Learning a new language is hard, connecting with other people is hard, leaving your homeland is hard, no matter where you are. Here, in the U.S., if you are not an English speaker, you are almost immediately stripped of your … Continue reading

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Let’s Make Guns the New Tobacco

I came of age in the era of glamorous smoking. Forty-six percent of Americans—including nearly everyone that mattered—smoked cigarettes. I gave my parents curlicued ashtrays as birthday gifts. Their friends offered each other glittery lighters. And of course, everyone in … Continue reading

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World AIDS Day: Words and Images of Provincetown AIDS Memorial

Steve’s holding Jerry, though he’s already gone, Marie holding John, gone, Maggie holding her John, gone, Carlos and Darren holding another Michael, gone and I’m holding Wally, who’s going. “Atlantis” Mark Doty Transcendence might be the term Emerson would lend … Continue reading

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Let Us Give Thanks

Kudos to my friend, Docey Lewis, for sending me this poem. I plan to read it at our Thanksgiving table. It is doubly appropriate since I will be celebrating with a gentleman farmer. LET US GIVE THANKS Let us give … Continue reading

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Theater Dread: The Talk Back

The other night, I got stuck. Fourth row center at a performance of Ian Ruskin’s one-person show, To Begin the World Over Again: The Life of Thomas Paine. I was excited to see this show, presented by the Associates of … Continue reading

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Condemn…Malign…Tolerate…Accept…Embrace

The Step Ladder of a Free and Open Society Why do people care so much—to the point of hatred, even violence—what other people do? Even when it has little direct bearing on their lives? Why do people hate gay people, … Continue reading

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