The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music. I so wanna hear some music right now … because the moment needs it. It’s just sad. Bad sad. More than half a lifetime ago … when my world was moving so fast … I had a friend who helped me catch my breath. … Continue reading Lost Friend
“But you saw no fault … no cracks in my heart And you knelt beside … my hope torn apart But the ghosts that we knew ... will flicker from view And we'll live a long life” My father’s name was Connie … and he was impossibly strange. Black Irish. Latin features ... Roman nose, … Continue reading The Cracks In My Heart
Night Noise "Ave Maria, Gratia Plena, Dominus Tecum." Mothers don't pray like the rest of us. I learned that long ago. As a boy. Have a brother at war and you'll learn lots of secrets about your Mother. She seemed the same lady … but she wasn't. Everybody went about growing up. The house kept … Continue reading The War Mother
“Genius is childhood recalled at will.” Charles Baudelaire Know why geniuses are so rare? Because the art of reliving … of remembering … of recollecting ... is lost. Maybe not forever. But it's surely rare. Too many people have no rearview mirrors. No chronicle. The here and now is all that matters. This moment. The right-now-moment. … Continue reading Leave ‘Em Alone
I could never get enough of my mother … because the line was too long. I was the fifth of six sons. Denis in the middle. My situation wasn’t any more desperate than anyone else in the tribe … we were all mother-deprived. But it wasn’t her fault. The poor lady was run-ragged searching … Continue reading Lady Madonna
“Would you know my name If I saw you in heaven? Would it be the same If I saw you in heaven? I must be strong And carry on 'Cause I know I don't belong Here in heaven Would you hold my hand If I saw you in heaven? Would you help me stand … Continue reading Alfie Evans
It’s impossible to tell a story you don’t even know. A jigsaw story with lots of pieces that don’t fit together. But I can’t get this story that I don’t know out of my head. I bought a book I shouldn’t have … at an estate sale. Found it in a danky basement. No one … Continue reading A Pious Frenzy
Who owns your kids? You think you do … but do you really? That’s not a pot-stirring question. But it’s something you’d better consider. Fast. Because … the answer’s getting pretty murky. Birth certificates used to be proof of authority. That piece of paper that gave you parental regency over your child … and the … Continue reading Who Owns Your Kids? Hint: It’s Not You
“Once … while with friends … I was asked what was the most significant thing I'd ever done in my life. It was a quick answer. Right to the point … ‘Being a Marine and leading men in combat’ ..." Ten thousand six hundred nineteen miles is a long way. But it’s not so long … Continue reading COMING HOME
You gotta kiss the fish. That’s how summer starts. With a kiss. That was the ritual of the boy and his grandfather. And then it was on to ponds and lakes and streams. A few hours here ... and a few more there. Almost always spur of the moment, grab-the-poles, hit-the-road decisions. Wedged in between … Continue reading Kiss The Fish
Missives Worth Reading 