Reposting an old post in honor of Mother’s Day. Setting: The small drab auditorium of an old elementary school or church. Our hero stands at the podium addressing a sorry-looking bunch of mild-mannered men hunched over in their metal folding chairs. Our Hero: Hi, I’m a recovering animal. A chorus of grumbling Hello’s and Welcomes … Continue reading
Sometimes I forget how to write. It seems impossible, the act of an imbecile stumbling through the vicissitudes wondering why the gods of creativity pointed their stifling fingers in my direction and declared, no more musings out of you. No matter the effort, every chosen word falls dead flat on the page, beyond resuscitation. Doubts … Continue reading
(this is an old post I’m replaying, because I want to…) My spiritual advisor taught me how to communicate with trees, but I confronted her after my first attempt didn’t go over too well. That tree you sent me to told me to get lost. She gave me a look of disdain. What did you … Continue reading
Book Excerpt. In the darkness and drunkenness, the bodies mingling around me faded to faceless silhouettes, the haze of booze covering us in its intoxicated fog. Except for Fran. She reclined in her chair as the center of attention, letting her long slender legs dangle from her slinky black dress, offering them up as the night’s delicacy while playing … Continue reading
Story Excerpt “Let’s dance,” she said, and raised her hands into the air, gyrating against me. I kept asking myself why I didn’t just walk away. This wasn’t what I wanted. As long as the music played she continued to drink, and at one point forced me to dance. I wasn’t in the … Continue reading
I thought I was done writing about guns in any way but one made it into this story. Maybe this will be the last time and I’ll start writing about sunshine and puppies after this. “You shot at me?” He was asking, not knowing where it came from. “It wasn’t me,” I said. … Continue reading
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
(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
He took out a twenty and two ones, no tip, and held it away from me between his fingers. “Give me my knife back first.” “What for? You don’t need that.” “I’m not going to use it, give it back.” I looked at the girl. She was a fairy, as innocent as a small bird. … Continue reading
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
