Gathering My Stones

Other boys stay out late and smoke. They use bad words. They worship false gods. When they ask me to come along I say I’m busy. I’m keeping my hands clean. It’s been hard work, really really hard work keeping my hands clean all these years. I do not live in a glass house. I … Read more

The Deathmarch to the Lighthouse, Week 4

Who was the maroon who scheduled a Deathmarch right in the middle of election season? Oh yeah, I was the maroon. Sorry to all excellent Deathmarchers. I’ve really punked it up this week, missing Week 4 on Wednesday and remaining behind on my reading. But heck, I’m just one marcher. Fortunately, there are a lotta … Read more

He can’t feel his paws

Chicken and eggs lobbed from twelve feet away keep him fed. They comb his mane when he’s sleeping. They clean his chin with a sponge. Planted in someone’s garden next to the tulips. Cool dirt and pebbles pack up tight against his belly down below below. They let him roar when he wants to roar. … Read more

Earth, Wind, and Fire Fighters

It’s comforting to know we still have fire fighters amongst us — people dedicated to finding fires and then fighting them. Fire needs to be fought. There are other primal forces that need to be fought, of course. I’d like to be a wind fighter. I’d go around putting out dangerous winds. Or perhaps a … Read more

The Deathmarch to the Lighthouse, Week 3

Never let it be said that I didn’t post the thread for Week 3 before midnight on Wednesday. Never! Still, this is really just a placeholder. Life — what with elections , Halloween, and all the time I’ve had to spend anticipating the release of the Borat movie — has overflowed into my Deathmarching time … Read more

One of the best hugs

you’ll ever get from your six-year-old is the one that comes after you’ve taken him and a friend of his trick or treating two skipping ninjas out in the dark going as long and as far as they want extracting candy ninja-style from houses you were sure weren’t open for trick or treat business. Then … Read more