Summary

The Transparent Eyeball – The author, to try coping with feeling unsettled and unfocused, goes for walks in the woods, recalling how the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson described being the woods as being like having a transparent eyeball, with all the senses open to all experiences. She reveals that she is a descendant of Emerson, quoting and considering several aspects of his writings and values. She also describes a family celebration of his life, in which she and her cousin hid behind a gravestone.

Shave – The author comments that when hair falls out during chemo treatment, it does so in unattractive patches. Tita suggests that she shave her head, and John does so at the same place in the house where their sons get their hair trimmed.

Empty Ocean – A nurse comments that trying to find an accessible vein in the author...