This afternoon, I went to the market. As I was locking my car, I noticed an old man in the driver's seat of a van. His head was down, as if sleeping, and my idle mind thought "Oh, he's probably having a nap, waiting on the wife." In about fifteen minutes, I came back out. … Continue reading Man in the van
Month: November 2017
The Self
Often thinks about the ending. Impoverished soul. Why so? Brain sees itself as a walnut. Exactly that size and that texture. Ripe now, and dried. if opened, you'd find compartments still true to the model. One or two infected with mould, causing cross-wired circuits and blameless mistakes (it thinks). But the black box is still … Continue reading The Self
Periwinkles
They headed down the valley With their wine and picnic lunch. The periwinkles blooming They gathered by the bunch. Happily remembering The times that they had spent As children, in the old ravine Inside a makeshift tent. With jam and jelly sandwiches They'd huddled from the rain And hoped that in the days to come … Continue reading Periwinkles
At the office
Up until May of 1980, I had worked in a series of warehouses and factories, my duties consisting of gopher, grunt worker, shipper, machine operator, and clerk. The last couple of years in that stretch was with a large retailer, and, in their warehouse, I tried to advance my prospects by training myself to operate … Continue reading At the office
Dejection
His ears have been ringing for thousands of days, as from a hard slap, but it stays and it stays. A similar sound to a siren that plays without losing its pitch pipe perfection. A strangling snake seems to coil, and to tighten. Never to loosen, never to lighten. Its singular purpose to cow and … Continue reading Dejection
My Wife Story
She works all day, all week Nigh to thirty years at the same mundane place Nothing to show but her name in the company newsletter And a couple of gold pins But wait....there are many friends she has made She is a charitable soul Helps the food bank And a family that's in need Offers … Continue reading My Wife Story
Barricades
I dreamt this morn' of fences They'd been put up while I slept But the fog obscured my senses And I stumbled 'til I wept The urge was strong for going on So I got up and I leapt O'er barb-ed wire, until the dawn Its promises had kept The fog had burnt away from … Continue reading Barricades
Loss and blame
A person very close to me met his death, at a young age, some years ago. Cancer it was, and it spread very rapidly, a “good thing” for those of us who loved him. Like many of us, he had his faults and sins, and had been an alcoholic and a heavy smoker for some … Continue reading Loss and blame
Sing Sing
I sing. I have sung to myself since the tender age of 12, when music first reached me. I begged for a guitar, and one finally came at Christmas time. A couple of days beforehand, I did a devilish thing. Searched our apartment while Mom and Dad were out. Found the guitar underneath their bed, already … Continue reading Sing Sing
Running for it
My old father-in-law, now gone, was someone I knew for the first thirty years of my marriage. It does take me a long while to get to know anyone, and vice versa, but, as I grew into his ways (and he became more comfortable with mine), we got along fine. There was my city boy … Continue reading Running for it
