Monthly Archives: May 2021

The lawns were immaculate. The trees were standing tall and they provided shade for a few children who sat beneath them. A large white dog sat and watched them playing some kind of board game. Down the road a camper … Continue reading →

In early 2011, my husband, Bob, and I coursed through the galleries of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) to absorb Pablo Picasso’s glorious complexities. The VMFA had scrambled to host the only East Coast stop on a seven-city … Continue reading →

Will anyone read this note or find my bones of interest The story I have to tell, only be described in inches My travels began with small steps, then steps that grew much quicker The home on the hill with … Continue reading →

His left-hand griped the steering wheel. His right-hand chocked the leather gearshift knob. His tense body ached with excitement, now steering a course for the final adobe of the righteous. His being was consumed with shahid, giving himself to Allah. … Continue reading →

“The Jews are here. The Jews are here” as brown shirts don their jackboots Meander through the helpless Jews strike early for the Reich Helpless face, we soon displace For betterment of all mankind The cattle cars transport the scares … Continue reading →

Michelangelo experienced an epiphany while lying on his back, staring at a blank section of the Sistine Chapel. This place is absolutely humorless. All day long, I’m subjected to the droning of Gregorian chants. Nobody ever laughs or even smiles. … Continue reading →

“Where did you say you got this?”  The speaker, Gertrude, was slumped in her usual languorous pose, one arm draped over the back of her straight-back chair, affecting her usual insouciance.  She held her eyes on the manuscript in front … Continue reading →

They both stood, rock solid and frozen in place and time. They were a monument to hard work and clean living. The pitchfork stood tall- held in the man’s firm grip. It was a symbol of strength and purpose. The … Continue reading →

I just can’t believe we’re going to Mars. Aren’t you excited? We’ve been watching the coverage of this ever since the first shuttle brought tourists ten years ago.  Of course, we, that’s my husband Marty and me, waited to make … Continue reading →

Captain Carter reluctantly agreed to be the first man to reach Mars. He suspected they were all just guessing that it would be a successful trip.   He knew it was all about the fuel. Fuel was the calculation that had … Continue reading →

THE SWINDLER AND THE SAVER Nana was a professional grifter with great skills. She cheated hundreds out of money by small-scale swindling. She was an exceptional con artist and a scam artist par excellance. As she became more and more … Continue reading →

MARS BARS The earth is closest to Mars every 1.6 years. Today it takes 260 days to reach the planet from earth. An elite group was chosen to colonize the planet. They would never see earth again. Raul Blausteiner and … Continue reading →

Bob held the camera tightly. He tried to keep it steady though he was trembling a bit. He had trained for anything- meteor showers, radiation storms, sunbursts, microbe attacks as well as all kinds of technical problems with the command … Continue reading →

“Every day is like the day before—wash, rinse, repeat. At least I only have two months left on this rock before I’m homeward bound.” “For someone who wanted to come here, maybe more than any of us, you’ve changed your … Continue reading →

The sounds of silence ricocheted along the vast interplanetary void between Mars and Earth until broken abruptly by a strained voice. MARS WAYFARER BASE: Houston, we have a problem! MISSION CONTROL:  Copy that, Wayfarer.  Explain. WB:  Four hours ago, the … Continue reading →

Huddled together in a neglected bedroom, we were seven- and eight-year-old cousins on a sleepover. In the attic. Not downstairs in the predictable safety of my bedroom, but somewhere we’d never slept before. Tantalized by adventure, we giggled. Early summer … Continue reading →

I stumbled out of the bar, aching, aimless, and alone, the twangy singer’s lament echoing forlornly in my ears. It’s not so bad when I’m lyin’ in the bedroom, Pretendin’ that you’ll soon be home again, It’s not so bad, … Continue reading →

I would tell you my name, but we Mongooses don’t use them. We identify each other using scents and sight. It’s better because we don’t have to suffer the embarrassment of asking someone to repeat their name. “Gee, I know … Continue reading →

Watson picked up the paper. As he let his body fall the final 20 centimeters into his overstuffed chair, he sighed. Reaching for his tea on the side table he smiled. Watson enjoyed his third reading of the story. The … Continue reading →

COHORTS Nana and Ada were cohorts. Nana, the grifter – Ada the saver. The more Nana stole, the more Ada bought freezers. Their success was short lived. Nana got nabbed and soon implicated Ada. Nana served time; so did Ada. … Continue reading →

EX M.I.L. My ex mother-in-law, Ada, was, to say the very least, unique, even among the world’s most notorious mothers-in-law. Ada marched to the beat of another drummer; in fact, to an entire marching band. Her schedule was very different … Continue reading →

Huddled together in a neglected bedroom, we were eight-year olds on a sleepover. In the attic, not a bedroom downstairs. The mattress sagged, dust flittered in the moonlight like bugs, and the redolence of cigarette-infused mustiness clung to everything. Our … Continue reading →

Act I: (camera pans- body, knife) Watson: (pointing, space among family pictures) “The wife did it”. (corpse rises) Dead man: (peeling off beard) “Surely you didn’t think you had dispatched me.” Act II: (sipping brandy, fireside) Sherlock: “Your failure to … Continue reading →

His left-hand griped the steering wheel. His right-hand chocked the leather gearshift knob. Tense body ached with excitement, now steering a course for the final adobe of the righteous. His being was consumed with shahid, giving himself to Allah.  He drank the … Continue reading →

The twangy singer’s mournful song tortured my boozy brain. It’s not so bad when I’m lyin’ in the bedroom, Pretendin’ that you’ll soon be home again, It’s not so bad, that lonesome feeling in my heart, dear, ‘Though it’s a … Continue reading →