In Line

by | Arizona Life, Human Condition

The other day, I stood in a checkout line at a department store with a pair of shoes in my hand. Across from me at the other register, two people waited their turns. One was a young man, muscular and tattooed. The other was a middle-aged woman who had cerebral palsy....

Backyard Jungle

by | Arizona Life

One of my only regrets is that I haven’t been able to travel more. The circumstances of my life have required me to stay for years at a time without leaving the southwest desert. I did manage to get to Great Britain and vicinity a few years ago, and I’ve...

With Honor

by | Poem

no comfort knowing that I am not the first, nor millionth from the last, just one beneath the cross, as the son bled god the mother, dreamless now, flickering, a shadow of a moth around an ancient fire aren’t you proud? and I say I am frozen, rigid with worship....

Christmas Finds the Thrift Store

by | Arizona Life, Human Condition

I was there to look for an extra chair to pull up to the dinner table during the holidays. Although I am usually a little annoyed by people who sing mindlessly along with the recorded music playing in a store, I didn’t mind that she was singing along with the...

The Housekeeping Details of Death

by | Family, Human Condition

Death is a fact of life, especially for those of us in middle age. Although a few of us may wrestle with the issues of mortality on a personal level, it is more likely that we are traveling final roads with parents. The past few years have been filled with goodbyes...