Where as once a childnow sits the old man, lifting his headfrom a Sunday morning doze,heavy-lidded eyes cracking opento a kaleidoscope of bleeding colorsslowly swimming into focus. Now as then, the old familiar longingto launch himself up and out of his seatto join the rising dust moatsas they sail high above the choirinto the streamingContinue reading “Stained Glass”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Tell Me
Tell me what you saw,tell me what you know,tell me which way you came,tell me which way to go,tell me there’s nothing to fear,tell me everything’s the same,tell me it was all just a dream,tell me it was all just a game. Tell me, tell me, tell me!it was all in my head.
Bullets For Breakfast
Bullets are flying. Again.Early and everywhere.Bullets in your ear at seven a.m.as you turn on the television.Bullets on the screenwhile you make your coffee.Bullets in the news.Bullets in your social media feed.Bullets in America.Bullets in Darfur.Bullets in Kyiv.More than enough bulletsproduced in a single year to kill us all.Bullets in every cityand small town acrossContinue reading “Bullets For Breakfast”
Last Standing
High, sprawling, and audacious in the sun,older than the country it stands in,bare boned against the November coldwind whipped, stripped of its summer clothes,the tree reaches the attention of every eye that passes, commands respect by way of fact that it still stands,resolute as a statue, welcoming the open sky, the rain, the snow, theContinue reading “Last Standing”
Wind
The wind is a feral animal tonight,moaning, circling, lashing out –random acts of violence in our midst. The little lights on the front porchrock about maniacally,glittering against the glass,a ghostly mirror ball inviting us to danceto the wind chimes chilling melody. The dog barks incessantly,issuing stern warningsto the invisible intruder.Perhaps she is telling itwhat weContinue reading “Wind”
Your Former Self Calling
Empty out the past.Hold fast to tangible things. Give up the ghoststhat haunt these silent rooms. Give up your reasonsfor not turning back toward that distant landof high hopes and deserted dreams. Easy to say, it’s true,never so easy to do, and this is why I’m calling you.“Wake up, wake up! Begin again.”
We Push It Down
We push it downto drown the soundof that seductive(if not slightly unhinged)inner voice, inviting us to jump the railsinto a deliciously wild country.Yes, we push it, push it, pack it down,this is how we move aroundthe world in a straight line,gain respect, becomeupstanding citizens,obedient animals in the field,when sometimes all we really wantis to dropContinue reading “We Push It Down”
Regarding Grandpa
Grandpa claimed to be a time travelerin the first paragraphof the last book he ever wrote.The marked-up manuscriptlabeled memoir on the title page,was thick, musty, and terribly heavy. Later, we snuck into his abandoned study once more,searching for clues to corroborate his claim,but all we found was a rusty pocket watchand a peculiar pair ofContinue reading “Regarding Grandpa”
Last Day At The Fair
Thinking of a day at the fair,some closing Sunday years ago,late August heaving its last steamy breaths,farm animals being led away from their tents,some by children not a quarter of their size, and how that reminded me of a bible verse I’d once been taught but could no longer recall. I remember loud crackly voicesContinue reading “Last Day At The Fair”
Something
Something strange in the air.Something dangerous. Something close.Something beckoning you outinto the warm summer nightwith bare feet and unruly hair.But then, under the motion lights, nothing’s there.Nothing that can be seen.Nothing that can be shouted ator scared off with bluff or bluster.There are only the crickets, your own rapid breathing,and a strange, uneasy feelingthat followsContinue reading “Something”
Anchor
Coffee rings, papers,notebooks and pens,this old disheveled desk,welcoming again, an anchor, if not quite a friend.A rainy afternoon flows by.
Blackout
A blackout one summerleft us without powerfor nearly three days.No street lights.No lamps.No television.The house grew oppressivewithout fans or air conditioning.Our town suddenly becamean eerie, ominous place.Something about it felt unsafe.Wrong.What if we were being lied to?What if we were being attacked,invaded, or worse?I was just a stupid kid, my imaginationan untamed tiger. I rememberContinue reading “Blackout”
Haunted Avenues 