Articles written by Michael Bettencourt

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About me - Michael Bettencourt

Michael Bettencourt is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His A QUESTION OF COLOR won an Ostrander award in Memphis (TN) for Best Original Script in July 2005. IN THE FORT chosen was a Selected Script by Inner Voices. In 2004 he won Boston Theatre

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Arts & Humanities > Philosophical Concepts What love is all about: 2 of 59
WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?What is love, this thing which we spend most of our lives pursuing? Some of us might quickly run for the quote books, some snicker, some just sit quietly and muse - but none of us would find the question meaningless, and all of us wants an answer.Well, what is it, then? It's been described as a r... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) The joys of gardening: 2 of 48
THE URBAN GARDENWhen I lived in upstate New York and New Hampshire, I always had a garden, diligently planned over the winter by poring through seed catalogs and gridding garden plots on graph paper. Like all gardeners, I had my planting scheme (peas as soon as the ground could take it), my bug defense (flat beer for snails),... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Life without purpose and the search for meaning: 1 of 24
ULTIMATE QUESTIONSRight now I'm slowly making my way through Hans Kung's Does God Exist?, an 800-page tome whose ultimate answer, with elaborate erudition, is simply "Yes."Kung's title is the primum inter pares of ultimate questions. Also included in the brood of which Kung's title is patriarch are questions which have troubl... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Poetic places: 2 of 45
PLACEThe garden plot is ready to be chapteredby vines, roots, broadleafs, pods.The pruned grapevines will be woundinto wreathes for later givingand the fresh manure, with itsgift of saved ammonia, is spread across,feeds dirt and nostrils.The line of oil and wood chips chartthe chainsaw's confirmation of mass.The down arc spil... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Drought: 1 of 18
DROUGHTIt's been in all the news,it's been all the news.Montage:grey crepe of leavesin surrendered fieldsgrey arcs of skinin surrendering faces.The wish prays for rain; the talk is dust.I am sitting on the top step of the porch.In front of me the lawn grizzles.The sun drains the sky to bronze hot and flagrant.It is noon.The a... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: Winter: 1 of 17
SLIDINGAs a child I remember that as soon as the ground got cold enough to hold snow, and the snow began to layer itself into a depth, my friends and I would hit the slopes, not for skiing, which none of us knew how to do since none of our parents knew how to do it, but for sliding. The first thing we'd do is dress for the ba... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Affirmative action defended: 1 of 14
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION REACTIONI hate to say this - admitting it seems like such a defeat of character these days - but, yes, I, a middle aged, balding, white male, benefitted from affirmative action. How, you might ask (if you believe the reigning Republican theology), did such a perversion of the natural order ever occur?The ye... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Resurrection: 6 of 72
MORT-SAFEMort-safe. A wrought-iron frame to prevent dead bodies from being exhumed by resurrectionists.IFirst snow.Outside this windowboundaries gradually losetheir stone walls.Outside this windoweverything turns to braille.Insidethe room is white, cold;the window edges inward with frost.This house slowly sinksunder the ashes... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Laundry: 2 of 23
WASHThe panties on the line are bikini,faded violet, cotton crotch.The jeans pinned next to them are heavy,denim opaque, stitching orange.The breeze yawns, stretches the panties,hips pressed forward, buttocks tight.The jeans' legs flail, running jagged laps.Suddenly the left leg braces acrossthe open violet space,the wind sud... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: The accident: 1 of 11
ACCIDENTIt was less a scenethan a dream's quick flash:the two ragged tire tracksunwinding from the passing pastthe breakdown lane to knit in a tree,ambulance's septic red mixingwith trooper's blue authorityon the white cloth suggesting flesh,the dealt wreck cooling.Looking for it on the late newsor buried in newspaper inchesc... More..