Monthly Archives: March 2021

Coming home from work one evening late last winter, I noticed my neighbor, a kindly elder, sitting on his porch. We waved as usual. “Cathie?” I was surprised that he called me by name. Although I had introduced myself when … Continue reading →

LUXURY RESORT It was heavily advertised on TV, radio and the rest of the media, “Toss your cares to the wind!”; “Enjoy the vacation of a lifetime!” The advertising pitches were endless. It started to sound real tempting to the … Continue reading →

Over the years, my family of four always loved to go on trips.  Be it winter for skiing, for example, or summer for camping, we really enjoyed going away.  Because my wife and I worked in the school system, our … Continue reading →

Jake perched on a barstool at the NCO club, surrounded by fellow sergeants and their friends. The main topic of conversation this evening was familiar to them all—Where’s Home? The subject usually came up when several were taking a leave … Continue reading →

Author note: This was written for a kidlit audience. Every night when Piper said his bedside prayers, he would give thanks for his family and send good thoughts and wishes to the ill or anyone going through a difficult time, … Continue reading →

Every time I think my life couldn’t possibly be any better, POOF! WHAM! KAPOW! It becomes more heavenly. It didn’t start that way, not by a long shot. I was born into a dirt-poor family, the middle child of seven … Continue reading →

I would give anything to see Mom again. I was five when she died. Dad remarried and we moved. That meant a new school, which I hated. My friends were misfits who vaped and skipped class. So I did, too. … Continue reading →

Avoiding contemplation of his own mortality had been easy when he was a young man.  It had become increasingly difficult, however, as he grow older—especially right now, in conversation with an inquisitive granddaughter. “Do you say prayers, Gramps?” “Prayers?  Ah…yes, … Continue reading →

Callahan’s Rick prepared his lunch for school as he always did. His father was long gone and his mother lay passed out at her usual place on the couch in front of the TV, clutching an empty bottle of vodka … Continue reading →

I awakened early. It was 6:05 AM. A light rain beat softly on the bedroom window. My heart rate was about 95 I would guess. I have been keeping track of it ever since that panic attack a few months … Continue reading →

(to the tune of Black Velvet Band) His hair hung down to his shoulders, His shirt was a tattered old rag. Faded chevrons adorned both his worn, torn sleeves, And his hands clutched a brown paper bag. Gunny was the … Continue reading →

  As the eldest son in a military family, I found myself changing residence frequently. Born in South Carolina, I resided in states like New Mexico or North and South Carolina. I spent some of my teenage years in Tripoli, Libya, … Continue reading →

There was no reason to suspect that the sweet elderly couple living in a tiny trailer park on Twitty Road were seasoned Russian spies implanted in the dead center of Florida. But there they lived for the past ten years. … Continue reading →

The man with a limp stopped on the shoulder of a seemingly endless road to rest for a short time. There was no reason, other than habit, for him to rest at the shoulder instead of the middle of the … Continue reading →

RECLUSIVENESS Harvey Dunford III lived alone, almost in total isolation, rarely leaving his two-story walk-up apartment in the Soho district of New York City. He lived off a rather substantial inheritance from his father’s estate, the Dunford Holding Company, that … Continue reading →

DREAM (circa 1975): I pick up a hitchhiker while driving to visit my boyfriend. When I get to his cabin in the woods, a mutual friend greets me with a large tray of exotic fruits. She tells me that I … Continue reading →

                                                          CARS Being a military brat, at 14 our family moved to Tripoli, Libya in 1965. Some moments would stick into my head and produce a smile, and sometimes outright laughter. I was riding in a car with Italian friends … Continue reading →

I’m often asked by old friends about my retirement in Florida, and what I do to amuse myself all the livelong day.  Many of them, knowing my interests, assume I do a lot of fishing. I’ve always believed there are … Continue reading →

“This has to be a dream, and everything will go back to normal once I wake up.” Of course, Aaron knew he was lying to himself, but what else did he have left. His former life felt more like a … Continue reading →

Kyle, what he has been calling himself lately, stared at the well worn brown paper bag sitting on the crude wooden coffee table. The bag, like a well trained puppy, sat at attention awaiting orders.  Once a month or so … Continue reading →

I saw a pile of Scrabble tiles in a Facebook picture recently on my 5 minute social media break, otherwise known as my bathroom break, and thought, what if you could turn up the tiles you wanted in life, instead … Continue reading →

ANNA ALICIA HASTINGS Anna is an ultra-wealthy, society matron with no heirs. She lives alone in an opulent condo on Fifth Avenue with an exquisite view of Central Park. Her only husband, the love of her life, passed away forty … Continue reading →

Settled into a game of Scrabble a pile of letters, endless babble making word and then unravel many points the game will travel   I take the letters from my tray Place on the board a smart array Then told … Continue reading →

THE LIGHT She was simply the one and only love of my life. I first saw her when we were in the seventh grade. She was standing in front of her open locker, staring intently, trying to figure out why … Continue reading →