forgotten girls

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i’m 55 years old, and a writer, and my teenage years have been over for a long time. it’s hard to remember. i sit in front of my computer and stare through my words, and watch Val sink into the mud of a shotgun wedding, and Brenda step into a locked stairwell in a psychiatric … Read more

city#1

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shift change lonely nurses squelch through slush outside the Chumir a meth head bums a smoke –this dark city

at sherman’s deli

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at sherman’s deli, 4 young servicemen in fatigue jumpsuits and work boots eat eggs. old gay men in floral shirts stare at the 4 young servicemen like they’re on the menu. there’s an old woman wearing a straw hat on a string of pink yarn. when she knocks the hot sauce over, the latino busboy … Read more

a dream

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last night i dreamt that i was invited to read at a big event, a selection from an anthology. when i take to the stage i realize my piece is not my piece, and i can’t read what’s written there because it’s orange letters on a red background, and that’s impossible with my ridiculous vision. … Read more

reading 2019; a discussion

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it’s been a year. reading through 2019 was weird, starts and stops, some slowly read books and some quickly read books and some abandoned books. this year i set down any book that lacked emotional truth. i plan to continue that practice, in reading and in life. i was saved by words and sentences, saved … Read more

ugly/beauty

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#1 the girl in front of me at the Shopper’s Drug Mart has a spine that curves into a comma. she’s a hip hitcher. #2 the woman in front of me in the Starbuck’s lower face has contracted into her neck, evidence of old burns. once red, now white. she wears a single, worn, leather … Read more

radio call-in

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#1 the first record i ever owned i won by being the 7th caller into Big R Radio, Freeze Frame by J. Geils Band. this was 1980. the record cover had a punch at the top and was clearly an extra promo album, but the Dj threw in a fluorescent T-shirt as a consolation prize. … Read more

contest

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dear imaginary readers of this blog, okay, so i won a writing contest, the Little Bird Writing Contest offered through Sarah Selecky’s Writing Program. it feels great to finish a piece and also be acknowledged for the work. writing in a vacuum is hard, you know? rea PS here’s a little press for a little … Read more