This is an excerpt from a novel I'm working on. I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks and have a great weekend. Heads turn when they see Kao’s dark blue car. He parks near two makeshift volleyball courts, where a mixture of Southeast Asians are playing. Most of them are Mien and Hmong and a few... Continue Reading →
Migrant Burden
Migraine headache ___a migrant backache ______from father to son. An American daughter-in-law _____our burden together. Donna wears her emotions on a flushed pale face washed with ivory cream ___what she brings to the table white rice _________mother taught her to wash and steam. Her father and brother wonder why I never finished business... Continue Reading →
How I Became… A Springsteen Fan
It was the summer of 1998 and I was back home from college. One of my good friends, Phil, was back as well from the Army. This already starts off sounding like a Springsteen song. We had a Marine friend, Ian, who lived up in Sacramento about two hours north of us. Ian said he... Continue Reading →
Summer
Light over darkness, long days, shorter nights, finding myself, my youth in dry daylight, blindly walking but I’m very certain, straying from spring hills to summer mountains. Yosemite’s valley sheltering me; warm rains and serenity in the trees. Searching for fountain of youth, purity; instead, finding a waterfall’s beauty. Nightly campfires under constellations,... Continue Reading →
Mount Corcoran
Mount Corcoran -Albert Bierstadt, 1877 The black bear waits ____________to kiss the water's edge Under fallen trees ____________the trout nap together and the waterfall ____________hums almost unnoticed. Just a "mountain lake" ______before the water dried: From a hidden source ______the artificial light shines on the sides of white-capped triangles. Under the clouds, poor Al renamed... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 20
November 4, 2014, Tuesday Kristen checked the front door again but it was still locked. She told herself she would smoke another cigarette before calling Kao for the head chef’s phone number. Right after she lit her smoke, she thought to call the restaurant, and she felt embarrassed when the chef answered. “Can I get... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 17
November 1, 2014, Saturday When Kao tried to sneak out of bed for his morning workout, Erica held onto him and said she was cold. It was her way of asking him to spoon her. He could never resist. His chest warmed her cold spine. Kao put his face into her dark hair and kissed... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Parts 1-16
For anyone who didn't start reading from the beginning, I created this file so you wouldn't have to navigate from post to post to read in chronological order. As the title of the post indicates, these are parts one through sixteen. Just a warning though, there about 16,000 words in this document. Once again, thank you... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 16
October 31, 2014, Friday A few people ordered two-part cocktails, but most of McNally’s Friday happy hour crowd were content with bottled Coors Light and shots of Patron. Hector, the cook, was the busiest person in the bar. He removed his Barack Obama mask and put an apron over his tuxedo t-shirt. Linda didn’t mind... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 15
October 30, 2014, Thursday Kao and Tony sat at a small booth in the dark bar of Ranchers Steakhouse and Grill. It was a popular spot for local businessmen, farmers and retirees. The restaurant was part of the clientele’s weekly routine, and they didn’t hesitate to recommend it to strangers and visiting family. At one... Continue Reading →
Mister Saechao 