To Beat a Child or Not to Beat a Child – That is the Question?
I’m about as knowledgeable about child rearing as a member of ISIS is at flower arrangement, though I do have some experience at being a child (some might say I’m still stuck in that mode). Becoming a father was never high on my list of desired experiences. I assumed it would happen … Continue reading
Tissue on the Bus – Based on Actual Events
A used tissue occupied the middle of the five seats at the back of the bus, crumpled and sticky white against the blue fabric. I chose a seat next to the window, leaving an empty seat between me and the nasal debris. At the next stop an elderly man entered and chose the seat next … Continue reading
The Art of Self-Expression
(two Buddha heads observing an abandoned Borders) A memoirist, currently being celebrated as a literary sensation, recently stated, “What’s the point,” after being asked about fiction, as if it were pointless to bother with a made up story when you could focus on the real thing, as if his life, or the self, was all … Continue reading
XXX Fruit
I’m tired of all the games played by fruit, fooling us into thinking they’re ripe. Except for bananas. Personally I get along with bananas pretty well. If only other fruits would develop spots. My main struggle is trying to determine when my fruit has had enough foreplay and is ready for action. Some seem so … Continue reading
Self-Expression, Self-Absorption, Self-Consciousness, Self-Diatribes, Self-Publishing, the Lowly Self
I’ve been tempted to deprive this blog of sustenance and let it die a horribly sadistic death. It’s a thief of time, of more serious writing, and though it’s a fun creative outlet, it often feels as if it is a monument to my self-centeredness. Maybe this is just my issue, having been that vanquished … Continue reading
Reflections – Two Poems
Glasses Before him was a cup of coffee; behind him a window and a door. His sunglasses sat on the bar near his saucer. His reflection stared back. A young couple sat in a booth by the window. He watched himself drink his coffee. He saw the couple sip theirs. He noticed how … Continue reading
Unwavering
This is an old story. Originally it was a flash fiction piece before being slightly expanded. I had fun with the language but it doesn’t fit in with where I am at currently, so I’m publishing it here since I’m not trying to do so elsewhere. Knowing the air around Joe had always been contaminated, … Continue reading
The Many Moods of Lake Michigan
Every day a new view. All pictures taken from my living room window (if only I was an actual photographer). Continue reading
An FU Rant, Because I Can
What the fuck is wrong with this country? If our society consisted of a small group of people just starting out in this new world, we’d individually pay the local doctor on an as-needed basis for our care. As costs skyrocketed because of new technology, taking on more difficult to cure diseases instead of letting … Continue reading
I Doubt, Therefore, I Am
When I struggle to write, I begin to doubt my intelligence; when the writing goes well – even when a story feels complete – I question its quality because it came from me. I doubt I’ll ever put the past behind me, not completely, or that I’ll ever be satisfied with where I am at. … Continue reading