Category Archives: Uncategorized

The prompt for this piece is “AI and I”, and it consists of two five-stanza poems. One is written by me, the other by AI (Copilot). Can you guess which is which? Happy PilgrimI am a happy pilgrim wand’ring down … Continue reading →

The world is so different now that everyone has agreed to allow implants to control our lives. The title of this story is the perfect example. Before my implant, I would have written A.I. and Me, which we all know … Continue reading →

The walk to town was delightful. I felt a light breeze tempering the warm sunshine. Serenaded by song sparrows and robins, I reflected on the bounties of an early summer day. I wandered over to a small plot of daisies … Continue reading →

Swimming in The Sea of Life Smoke and ash, shocking wave  Smiles dashed, concerns grave Fear shakes a fickle heart Riding currents, a new start  Fire extinguished, a faithful tide Humbled soul, newfound pride Heavenly angels, sing sweet tunes Moves … Continue reading →

Who could blame me? I couldn’t let go. I battled the beast even as black clouds and heavy waves rolled in. This was a monster. The rod and line were especially designed for the big ones. Mike stood by my … Continue reading →

He knew the man staring back at him in the mirror better than anyone else could ever know him. He was Barnabas, a leader of men, a purveyor of knowledge, a pillar of strength. If he could see these attributes, … Continue reading →

Is it safe? Is it safe? It must be safe. I don’t hear any fishing lures plunking into the water or boats with trolling motors plying the surface of my lake. Yes, I said my lake, even though these air-breathing … Continue reading →

Walking always clears my head. Maybe it’s something about the fresh air or the freedom of moving in any direction I want. I love the dense warm summer air as a myriad of sensations hang in the thick atmosphere.  The … Continue reading →

Heart of gold Last week I was fortunate enough to be sailing in the British Virgin Islands.  One of the days we embarked on the Island of Virgin Gorda where they have these Baths.  They are not really baths as … Continue reading →

I gaze at the flickering dying embers as they light the primitive ceiling above. I’m transfixed in the face of eternity. My left sock clutches me and holds me in this place lest I float away into oblivion. What is … Continue reading →

I love sitting out on my lanai writing. Something about the warm Florida air and picturesque green scenes of flora and fauna often inspires me. As I type away on a recent novel, I briefly note a bird sitting on … Continue reading →

At first it was just annoying. How could people just throw paper onto the sidewalk? Can’t they simply wait a few minutes and throw it in a trash bucket at home? My diatribe against the laziness and self centeredness of … Continue reading →

Gail’s favorite pastime is browsing through to estate sales. Each sale afforded an adventure into another time. Besides the good deals on antiques, there was something insatiably exciting about exploring a stranger’s past. The anticipation of a new sale never … Continue reading →

Passions ran high as each witness related their close encounter with greatness. The decision will soon be made. Experts have been pontificating for several days now on all of the networks. There is no clear conclusion among them. Mary Jane … Continue reading →

For some strange reason this week I have been thinking more than usual about my late wife , Susan, to whom I was married for 37 years.  In November 2008, she passed having been stricken with pancreatic cancer. I very … Continue reading →

Recently we celebrated Mother’s Day with various trappings of appreciation. Flowers, candy, dinner or some bonding event are annual events spotlighting gratitude with a 24 hour expiration. And yet it’s nice to take a breath and reflect on what it … Continue reading →

Mark Twain called the building I work in, “The ugliest building in America.” I agree. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building isn’t the largest in Washington, D.C., but its imposing façade makes it feel like it is. I work … Continue reading →

I know what you’re going to say- “Be patient”. Easy for you to say. I respond- “You’re not waiting endlessly for the call back. How can you know how I feel and what is going through my mind?”. I reflect … Continue reading →

Running around the house at lightning speed, Jackie searched every nook and cranny, but couldn’t find her homework. And she was late for school. When she reached the living room, she saw looks of terror on her grandparents’ faces. “What’s … Continue reading →

My smartphone never sleeps. It tracks my every movement, purchase and thought. It clearly knows what I need. It uses algorithms to anticipate my every need. I confess that I’m not really sure what an algorithm actually is but I … Continue reading →

PROMPT: Reflections MONTHLY CHALLENGE: Pacing My granddaughter snuggles down under the blankets in our guest-room, her coppery hair splayed across the pillow.  Winnie-the-Pooh lies beside her, the same ragamuffin teddy-bear I’ve had since I was younger than Kelly is now. … Continue reading →

I’ve got that slippery snake now. My new informant, a guy named Lucky, told me Carrington moved his counterfeit operation to a farmhouse outside of town. I can’t figure if he’s lucky, as his moniker says. He spends his life … Continue reading →

Stanley was his name- at least that’s what my father told me. The name has a rich history- the creator of high quality tools,creator of a high end insulated cup, director of one of the world’s largest investment firms, famous … Continue reading →

A few years back, I was privileged to hear a talk given by Billy Collins as part of our library author series. At the end of his talk he stayed for a book signing. I approached Collins and asked him … Continue reading →

Ken hated flying, but his new job had him pounding the people walker conveyor belt in airports all over the world. He was sick of it. It was a constant drudge on an endless carousel of stale sandwiches, overpriced coffee … Continue reading →

Jan 1979, our family moved to Solon Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.  I was driving home from work on one wintery day, and it snowed every day in Cleveland, Welcome to Cleveland.  They said it was lake effects, and even … Continue reading →

It was an easy drive to Chicago from my boyhood home in central Wisconsin. The transition was far beyond the couple hundred miles we drove.  I watched out the window as we passed gentle rolling green hills with tall dark … Continue reading →

I glanced at the screen. The map told me I had 57 miles of winding road ahead of me. It was 11:16 AM and it looked like I would make it by 1:00 PM. The text I got at 8 … Continue reading →

It’s a busy night. The Stage Door Canteen is packed with sailors, soldiers, Marines and airmen from nearby training bases. And in a big city like New York, there are an ample supply of young women, called junior hostesses, who … Continue reading →

“It’s never too late to become the person you always wanted to be.” When I heard that line, it immediately struck a chord with me.  It’s both encouraging and positive.  It is time well spent pondering the many questions it … Continue reading →

For a brief moment in time, humanity was united. It was at this special time of a rare total eclipse that 50 happy couples from every corner of the world decided to tie the knot on a football field in … Continue reading →

A brainiac once told me the Dalai Lama said your enemy can be your greatest teacher. That is definitely true for Carrington. He has been a worthy adversary, thwarting me at every turn. Ever since I wrote that first story … Continue reading →

On my family’s continuing journey to map the United States with our brown Oldsmobile station wagon, I learned many things. It was more than just the names and places, but outside of the confines of our hometown, I realized lessons … Continue reading →

My serious tone and warning to never tell the family secret that I was about to reveal- got his attention. “I want to warn you that this information might be distressing and shocking”. My nine year old grandson, used to … Continue reading →

I was 10 years old and an only and lonely little boy who was quite geeky looking.  Overweight, braces on the teeth, black rimmed glasses on the nose, and no athletic abilities as I had no siblings to teach me.  … Continue reading →

He sat motionless against the backdrop of a criminal moon.Hung in the distance beside the nearness of malnourished thoughts.Lurking there and here like the grudge of forgiveness stolen on a night of intrigue.Never once passing his faceless mask to those … Continue reading →

The warm spring day in Florida drew young and old to the gulf and to the beach.  A brilliant blue sky overhead is only marred by a few light wispy clouds.  The heat of midday is past, and the day … Continue reading →

Four times wanted.Too small to be seen.Too large to be forgotten.A past built of promises forced to be broken.Futures not yet claimed.Lives interrupted by the lack of life. Four times remembered.Anonymous names only written in stone.Aisles never to be breached.Graded … Continue reading →

[A TONGUE-IN-CHEEK MEMOIR ABOUT ATTENDING A LITERARY SALON, WITH A SPECIAL NOD TO SALLY] The missus an’ me went out t’other night—together, which I gotta say is unusual.  We’re home most nights on account of we don’t got a lotta … Continue reading →

It’s always been hard to say the word.To me it has a bigger definition than the word itself.It’s more of a concept, a way of life.Something that is to be demonstrated.Something that is to be lived.Something that the word alone … Continue reading →

We all have a different  genetic make up and mine involves being a risk taker.  Every day we are faced with decisions that make you think about the risk vs reward.  In my case almost 100% of the time I … Continue reading →

When I hear the expression “risk-reward” I think of golf.  The commenters on the golf telecast seem to use the term every week.  At the time the tournament leaders are playing the last few holes, there is a point somewhere … Continue reading →

It started out well. The sky was crystal clear. A light, warm breeze greeted us as we entered the car to begin the fateful journey. We drove smoothly along, on track and on time. Then it happened. Just our luck. … Continue reading →

(with apologies to Franz Kafka) “We’re in the neighborhood and I wanted you to know we have a special for new customers this month.” He stood at the half-opened screen door, dressed in denim pants and with “Home Team Pest … Continue reading →

Rachel felt as though she were living in a sinkhole of absurdity, delving deeper and deeper into the ridiculous with every passing day. The problem was her husband Hal, but really what he morphed into… a giant ogre of idiosyncratic … Continue reading →

Each day Jackie biked to the beach alone. She sat on the sand, gazing into the infinite golden horizon, searching for the meaning of what happened with her parents’ death by looking into the clouds for answers or solace, she … Continue reading →

On Wednesday after pelican line dancing susan and I stopped by the movie theater and decided to watch the movie.  “As it is in Heaven” We were 1/2 hour late, yet it looked interesting enough to sit down and be … Continue reading →

There was a time when words hung like a rambling mosaic.Always drifting somewhere within the folds of an unused whisper.Always rolling off the mind’s tongue like random graffiti.Always growing as does the yeast of knowledge.Always there but not really. 3 … Continue reading →

Look around and then back.Your rays, like knives, have stabbed darkness into submission.Throw me the reluctance you’ve held back for so many years.Could a new beginning really be the ending of something so trusted? In years ago, I was a … Continue reading →

Somewhere beyond, there is a corner and then another.Should they be rounded or tamed?Straight has the appearance of correct.Yet, straightforward never seems to be enough.Perhaps a long stare down a short breath of abandoned reasoning? Questions in a vacuum of … Continue reading →

Let’s start by saying I’ve made plenty of mistakes. I offer a few examples to demonstrate this fact.  I was in my teens when I was challenged by a peer to make a wager. He bet me that Clay would … Continue reading →

Now, having lived eight decades, many past events pass by my mind. Here’s one: I played my first baseball game in the middle of 10th street and knew little about on what to do. Centerfield I was told to go. … Continue reading →

It all started at age 5. I snatched a candy bar from a store and later had to return it and apologize to the manager. Imagine the humiliation. Undeterred, I swiped a few magic pictures glued to the front of … Continue reading →

You are not the question.You are the lack of thought before a sentence.You’ve spent your life crawling through the angles of a circle you only pretend to draw.You know the meaning of too many words you’ve never seen.A lack of … Continue reading →

Alone behind the glass he thinks only window thoughts.Out there, beyond the railroad tracks and wind, he once conquered a day’s time. She stumbled forward through the wandering voices, shopping cart in hand.Together, they shared toothless stories.In times past she … Continue reading →

Begin again August and start me off straight this time.Your days came too fast for me to mark them down as anything of importance. I realize you are restricted by yourself, but you must be aware that I am also hindered … Continue reading →

Chief Franklin was host of this gathering- convened through the wonders of virtual technology to solve one of the greatest crimes of the century. The Chief  sat at the head of the table dressed in his usual black, pin striped … Continue reading →

1959 was developing into a historic year for the U.S. and the world. America had added two more stars to its flag, as Alaska and Hawaii became the forty-ninth and fiftieth states. Fidel Castro wrested power away from the corrupt … Continue reading →

By Friday each week, Rachel is on autopilot. Taxing her kids from activity to activity between working, cleaning, cooking and shopping, the only break she gets is at the occasional stop light. Until Saturday. Saturday is the day when her … Continue reading →

The Epicurean possessed the title of best restaurant in the tri-state area. People would try for weeks before acquiring a reservation in the main dining room. Snagging a coveted table in a private room took influence and a great deal … Continue reading →

Mark leaned over his hand painted elegant and overflowing dessert plate and quietly stated the obvious- “Stephan, we are very fortunate indeed. Life is a lottery and we certainly have won it”. Mark dug into his plate of tiramisu. Holding … Continue reading →

It was a cold Monday on Jan 6th, 1979 that my move from Willingboro NJ to Cleveland Ohio took place. Upon arriving at my new abode the day was noteworthy.  The moving van and I arrived at the same time, … Continue reading →

They shatter themselves into bits of everyone else’s shadow.They linger in the cradle of a valley like the setting sun.They pass far beyond the black, stealing the boundaries of your direction and painting their own ideas of white lines on … Continue reading →

The alarm on my smartphone screamed its usual cheery tune. I glanced at it with a scowl and it stopped. I know I can not shut it off by looking at it. I must be dreaming. I guess I will … Continue reading →

Wow, that was one hell of a New Year’s Eve party. At least, the parts I remember were. I don’t understand what made the room spin so erratically while the antique grandfather clock was ringing in its welcome to 2024. … Continue reading →

Good writing is not easy.  Whether author, blogger, diarist, journalist, we are likely to have discovered that truth a long time ago.  Nevertheless, it is a lot easier than when I began in the 1980s—as a look backward to 1985 … Continue reading →

The Beast of configuration loomed overhead, admonishing all to practice the rituals of obedience and structure. It screamed. It demanded. It threatened all with its insanity, terrifying the populace and causing many to drop their tools and run. Chaos lurked … Continue reading →

As a kid, I had a very strict rule. I didn’t eat anything green. I was a finicky eater at best, but I just hated the awful taste in my mouth. And to make matters worse, my mother wasn’t a … Continue reading →

New York. 2 a.m. I awake from a restless sleep with a start, stressed by my upcoming doctoral comprehensives. Dreaming of failure, lost research, arriving naked — all the exam nightmares — sleep is clearly futile. Surrendering to the demon … Continue reading →

I was sitting one night eating some reheated egg rolls and pork fried rice. Perhaps it was the MSG or the STPP or some such but I began to imagine I was a dragonfly on the inside wall of a … Continue reading →

Today is the big day. After all these years, I’m to be happily tossed out with the trash without as much as a farewell. Have you forgotten that I was with you from the very beginning? I’m responsible for many … Continue reading →

I hang in the far end of the close, pants and coat.   I am rarely used, lonely, mostly forgotten.  Here I am, interned in the dark, day after day.  Always accompanied by a few ties draped over a hook nearby.  … Continue reading →

After three flights and a two hour ferry ride in rough Atlantic waters our packed van climbs slowly on rutted roads interrupted by a shallow stream or two. The van is determined to shake loose a few of my fillings … Continue reading →

Reading from the game-card, Lenny asks, “What’s something that, once lost, can never be found?”  He leers at me, waiting for my reply. “Innocence,” I declare, and the others applaud as my answer garners the points I need to win … Continue reading →

My wife asked me to go out for a few groceries and believe it or not, I jumped at the chance. It’s silly to say, but somehow I thought retirement would be different. For the last decade, I counted each … Continue reading →

Hey, John.  Grab a chair, Steve and Mark will be here any minute.  Say, I saw you last night at the restaurant with Denise.  How smart of you, you got the romantic little booth in the corner.  Wow, she is … Continue reading →

Today I get a notice my xfinity services have been cut off for my home in Illinois and the amount due is $492.34. The only reason I received this notification is because my auto pay didn’t go thru. I would … Continue reading →

Between a dream I saw you, broken and torn; contaminating your openness. You, the beginning. The end. The shortcut. You, the burglar of thought. The anticipation of reason. You, the prediction. The waiting. You, the inbetween. I felt my edges … Continue reading →

It’s been so long a time since I’ve been this way. Awkward and unaware. Trying to write myself a way home. Should I look to the north and smother myself in its strangeness? Would that help change the depth of … Continue reading →

The brothel was tight on Saturday night,The Johns were lined up at the door.The ladies were busy, almost in a tizzy,Even up on the very top floor.But one callow chappie was quite unhappy, That he hadn’t gotten his due.“I paid … Continue reading →

Chief Detective Cramer sat at his desk. He gazed out the window- staring and straining to look into the past. He smiled as he recalled several police cars blocking the street with their lights flashing, darkened hallways lit by 40 … Continue reading →

I keep having this reoccurring dream that I’m running down an empty street. It’s darker than a midnight where the dim shadow of a sliver blue moon and the intermittent blink of a couple faulty streetlights cast cruel lonely silhouettes. … Continue reading →

Dedicated to Evie Blackhall, who loved L. Carroll and her cats, Thelma and Louise ‘Twas brillig, in Queen Ebbie’s lite lair, Alle the knip was kneppen in the knichen. Aslopin and aslephen the tabby pair Thelma and Louise the tun … Continue reading →