Since the beginning of Covid time, four or five days a week we take this walk. And every morning a song visits me, unbidden. This morning it’s the theme from “The Odd Couple.” Where did that come from? Yesterday it was “I Think I’m Going Out of My Head,” which, for sentimental reasons, I was…More
Monthly Archives: October 2020
Smoke Signal–what’s wrong with the sun?
We’re facing east on Lone Pine Road when my wife asks, “Are you going to take a picture?” I could take a picture, yes. At 7:00 a.m. the sun is rising in the east. At the end of the road, just above the horizon, the sun is sandwiched between two stands of trees. The sun…More
“Small Beans,” an excerpt from American English, Italian Chocolate”
Favorite–a ukelele, a party, a loss
“You awake?” he says. “Who wants to know?” “I’m thinking of buying a ukelele.” “God’s green earth.” “To take to the party Saturday. Something to do with my hands. And liven things up.”More
28065 Nights, a review
Sometimes I look down at my hands and I see yours kneading the dough. I would choose this if I had a choice. The prose poems in Kate Manning’s collection, 28065 Nights, written for her deceased grandmother, Wanda Faye Henson, are rich and evocative snapshots. The title refers to how much love accumulates in 76…More
Tender Cuts, a review
In “Tender Cuts,” the title story in Jayne Martin’s collection of flash fiction, a little girl dressed for her first beauty pageant awaits her moment to shine. It’s the Little Miss Soybean Pageant. Her mother is keen on her performance, more so than the daughter, Julie Sue, who feels the pressure to perform, knowing she…More