Music filters out the café door where I sit with my friend, cigarettes and coffee in our hands, commenting on the dress of passersby, who could care less about our existence. Though she wants to be great, she fears doing something not ordinary. Once, she was great at soccer but it wasn’t cool to... Continue Reading →
An Addictive Personality
Here's an old column I wrote more than fifteen years ago. Some references are dated. When a friend in college told me that I had an addictive personality, I took it as an affront. Why shouldn’t I? The implication was that I was somehow abnormal or… I’m not exactly sure, but it was negative. He... Continue Reading →
The End of Summer
I recently took a trip to Portland to see some old friends. I guess that’s the gist of my trips these days. I’m not really looking for new adventures, I’m just looking to keep those old relationships. Maybe I’m doing it wrong but I can live with that for the time being. I didn’t do... 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 →
The Time Machine
The Powerball is thirteen and I watch the guys in the bar clutch their tickets. They’re anxious for Laurie to scan their numbers but I don’t care. I sip the rest of my gin. It’s down to the dregs. Just melted ice and lime with a whiff of its piney scent. “Hold your horses!” Laurie... Continue Reading →
Fortune Cookies, Too
The son becomes the father _____when the father passes Your obligation becomes your life We replace the old __hardwood living room _____with thick gray carpet It's not an accident if you allow it Katie's waist thins over time stretches mark the months _____Billy depended on her Make sure to caress them __when you bathe Mother... Continue Reading →
O’Brien’s Rules for Drinking
1. Never start with cheap beer. Cheap liquor is okay. 2. Never buy a girl a drink who just walked in, unless you know her, and she's not all that pretty. 3. Drink lagers during the summer, ales in spring and porters in winter. Fall is tricky, depends where you live. 4. For expensive booze,... Continue Reading →
Mister Saechao 