I like to think of Robert Erle Barham as the cultivator of Current ‘s literary soul. If you are not familiar with his creative non-fiction, you should be. In January 2023 we ran his piece “When You Measured the World.” This week that piece was republished at Short Reads under the title “When You Measured the World: A Father’s Memories.” Here is a taste:
You know if you stay in this place your brother and sister will step from the trees lithe and sleek as deer, and you will share sips of water from your father’s canteen and a cup that collapses into your pocket like magic. You know at the far end of the path is a house where your parents are young and omnipotent. Beyond that, who knows?
Just then, someone says Daddy. You turn and your daughter takes your hand. You were gone forever, she says. The two of you join her brother and sister waiting in the near dark. You drive them home and don’t look back. Before you arrive, seeing your house at the end of the street, your son says, It’s like a lighthouse.
Later you wonder what your children will remember about these days and where the past will find them, taking their breath away with memories of people and places long gone—and a time when they first measured the world.
Read the entire piece here. If you’ve ready it already, it’s worth revisiting.