Suprise Me

When I first saw this Retro prompt, a David Sedaris essay* came to mind. Here, Sedaris laments the lack of worthwhile accessories for men. “[Accessories” for men aren’t nearly as interesting as women’s,” he writes. “I have no use for cuff links or suspenders, and while I’ll occasionally pick up a new tie, it hardly… Read More

It is an auspicious day for a cremation There will be no tears today Tears would drag your spirit back to earth Your pallbearers wear earrings and black shirts Sporting logos of Harley-Davidson, Heavy Metal; On your wreath, a banner Advertises the Sheraton Nusa Dua The cremation tower, sunny white and yellow, Adorned with your… Read More

A local brewery named itself “Bad Tattoo”, a good description of far too many skin decorations. Read More

When I graduated from college, I was pretty sure I wanted to go to law school eventually, but I was VERY sure that I wanted to take some time off from school first. I was sick of writing papers and taking exams and always having some assignment hanging over my head to make me feel… Read More

Reuniting with an unrequited spirit Read More

My Heart Remembers My Grandmother’s Hotel The leader of a writing workshop I took years ago asked us to think back to our earliest memories and write about a place our heart remembers.   I thought of my grandmother’s hotel in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York where I spent childhood summers.  (See My Game… Read More

One balmy night, the full moon high, I walk into town, flip-flops slapping softly, and grab a seat on the patio at the local watering hole, the Tahiti Nui, where sits Shelley, my new drinking buddy. Halfway through our second or maybe third drink, up walks a guy she knows, Mike, who has a cute… Read More

Mom used to joke that I had "the attention span of a gnat." Read More

My mother was still in a deep depression, too tranqed out on Miltowns to take care of me, much less plan a birthday party. Dad owned a car dealership; worked six days and two nights a week. He cared but just wasn’t there. We had been in the neighborhood 2 1/2 months and I didn’t… Read More

OK, I admit it. I’m not competent at assembly projects, although I do live with one gigantic IKEA wardrobe that I managed to put together by dint of much time, sweat, and profanity.  I am repurposing for “Retrospect” this poem that I wrote a number of years ago. WRITER’S WORKSHOP (Deer Isle, Maine) The view… Read More