Stories
Webster’s defines story as the telling of a happening or connected series of happenings, whether true or fictitious.
I have my own definition. A story is any recollection/telling, mental or verbal, of an event. Even true stories are ‘made up’ because they are never related in the ‘moment to moment’ experience. 5 people will relate an event from their own perspective.
My stories are all made up, just as yours are. We create, accept and choose to believe them as truth or not.
My stories follow.
all is Still
all is Still. [OK. Take a slow breath or two or more ] Still is never enough, is it?[Here comes the preachy talk.] Still is defined by the 'and' or 'what' words.More short stories in the making. Can you imagine your MindStill in still with no Why? Now see before...
So, here we are again.
So, here we are again. Listening to chatter on NPR. 2 Black sounding men discussing music. Mellow. Jessie Smollett popped into view.I got up, did stuff and am at the keyboard. I [kinda] hate going off course BUT it is awkward to 'fuck-you' peck at the...
Another Story
Another Story. Change is consistent and continuous.Many of us say that. Yet,being and observing changeis not the same. Some live it.Some talk about it.Some don't give a ***t(k).Some are in between. We say live in the moment.A story takes placein the span betweenmoment...
Just past 3 AM
Just past 3 AMI woke from a nightmarerealityheart in my throatfear We imagine dogs cats art trees and beessons and daughterssun and mooneach other to avoid the inevitable. Just past 3 AMI wokein cold chilling darknot knowing, just feelingalone They cut down many...
Dying Words of a Hospice Patient, ‘Forever’.
Dorothy Parker's short story 'Arrangement in Black and White' influenced my work, Dying Words of a Hospice Patient, 'Forever'. I'm on the . . Sure, I'd like to talk, uhhh, have a seat. That's right, Jeffrey Anderson. Thank you very much. I just gave names to the...
I have to come clean here.
I have to come clean here. The first time I heard on NPR Jessie Smollent (the 'Empire' actor)walked into a police precinctwith a noose around his neck my liddle voice said 'fake news',then moved on to more gabble. The first thing a black man would dois get that...
Symbiosis
Symbiosis There are 3 types of relating(the Word book says). Commensalism - One partner wins, the other has no idea.Mutualism - Both partners may benefit or survive on their own, or not.Parasitism- One partner benefits, the other is harmed.The web is an amazing to use...
the Bullet Tin Scripture
the Bullet Tin Scripture Sit back and chill If you wanna do somethinglisten to the childrenthe child if you only have one inside. I'm gonna call these bits n pieces 'bullet tins'.Why not bullets?Cause bullets cause harm and there is no other, so forget mother father...
Bullet-Ten Questions
Bullet-Ten Questions ***Who breaks the law?illegals Who makes the law?Legals came here killed the native buffalo foodchained a people's body and mindtested bombs on 2 Asian cities and they still make the law. ***in Poor Towna child today may be an adult killedby a...
the Agreement
Before you read this or not, please be forewarned. What follows may not be a poem, but once it took off, I could not stop it. Not sure if throwing in line breaks turns words into a poem. There I go 'wording off' again. *****the Agreement We had one, didn't...
the CARROT and the stick WORLD
falling forthe CARROT and the stick WORLD Carrots are used for many purposes. Some folks may cover their mouths, aghast.Others think about a glass of fresh squeezed juice.Me? I'm talking about the donkey carrot, the greyhound rabbit, and the human habit....
TRUST
TRUST is not a continuum,though like all else,it appears to be. "OK, I just stepped out of character." I have no idea where this is heading.Let's follow and see if we break a leglike they say in showbiz OR wind uptapping [Delete], saying good night to the dog,and...
“Incoming . . .”
I SHOUT, "I'M COMING . . ." The sun is hotter today.The stink is worse. coagulatedblood n gutsflies(where there used to be eyes)bits n piecesbody partscollectedin zippered bags "You got 10 minutes to chow down!" Lunch timeC rations, a plastic spoon, a P-38I trade...
Kaia & Luna, mostly
Let's see what 8:44 PM backward gives us. 8:44 PM and back. Had steak and salad for dinner. Kaia had bits of steak in low sodium organic beef broth mixed with mushed pumpkin and her daily meds. Added 30mg of codeine* to her meal to help her chill from the limping...
the WAY home
Maybe I will call all this stuff, stuff. That's what it is, right? Stuff! Break that stuff down, and get what you want. Is seeing believing OR does believing come firstOR does it even matter? Lets not forget the Way Home is not a destination,a voyage, an...
no name, 6
no name, 6 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', then 'Many Rivers To Cross' filled my head after Vietnam. Well, not directly after. Directly after, I was going to get a job in the newly established computer field. That's where the money was being made. Next I would take time...
no name 5
no name, 5 I am liking this 'no name' continuation. It frees mind from 'thinking in the box'. That takes more work than is necessary, 'thinking in the box'. Think about it! See what I mean? 'I follow my feet' is what I say.'Saying and doing' are different realities....
no name, 4
'no name, 4' The first 3 sentences plus 3 words in 'no name, 1' follow.I lay down to rest last night and the word 'forgiveness' sprang up. I thought we were going to be talking about my relationship with dad. My lined yellow pad was close at hand. The next instant . ....
no name, 3
no name, 3 OK, 'no name, 3'* was at the top of tonight's agenda. I cooked dinnerdid dishesSpent time with Kaiaand the mirrorStacked booksFlapped Jacks None of that matters.The intention was to sit and write. Give the distractions any name you want.What you name...
Words, Images and Canines
Words, Images and Canines I relate with images, words, and canines,easier than I do with adult humans. WORDSI AM accumulated air and extracted breath,‘til the day I die. (Die? A whole other topic.)I AM what/where/how I AM,now and not. Not until Nowmeans Now, Now, . ....
the ‘Master Manipulator’
the 'Master Manipulator'Our President is a 'Master Manipulator'. He has made the current negotiation about getting or not getting a physical barrier between the U.S. and Mexico. He says, "You Democrats don't want to protect our country".Chuck and Nancy say, "We do...
“I lead the Free World”.
"I lead the Free World". It was chilling to hear and observe the President of the United States slowly read his prepared speech as a monotone monologue. I wonder how many of our leaders on the Left OR the Right will comment on his robot-like delivery. 'Monotonous...
no name, 2
Here we are, back at it. We came up out of the station (me and the sisters), somewhere in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). I had been staying in an area where many of the hostels were located. All the maimed beggars, wobbly cloth and cardboard homes, and hands out, palms...
no name, 1
I lay down to rest last night and the word 'forgiveness' sprang up. I thought we were going to be talking about my relationship with dad. My lined yellow pad was close at hand. The next instant I was in the Bombay (currently Munbai ) airport. Our plane from Athens had...
Malcolm X said . . .
Malcolm X said, “Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; they always made me glad.” Basically, 'what goes around, comes around' or 'we get what we sow', again and again. A...
Confession
In a written piece from December 10th, 'Let's talk about Vietnam', I wrote, 'I was raised with hatred for Jews and even the word repulsed me'. A friend asked, "How long did it take to transform that hatred?" I really don't know. After 70+ years of exploration,...
Why does a ❤️ symbolize love?
Why does a ❤️ symbolize love? Generally FB (Facebook) reader responses are limited to emoji faces, thumbs and hearts. Could it be the return to basic hieroglyphics and cave art, a language even the illiterate may communicate with? Here's a question. Why does...
Let’s talk about Vietnam.
Let's talk about Vietnam. a side note: My pen hand is jumpier than usual. Don't know why. Back to Vietnam. Let's see what words pop up. strength in numbers. fear fear fear outside in. inside out. I blocked many outside-in experiences....
a Pig’s tale
a Pig's tale We just had the yummiest smoked ham hocks ever eaten by 2 beings, one human, one canine. Two days ago I was shopping in Central Market and saw these petite, ankle-sized hocks (4 of them) packaged together. Normal sized hocks look like grandpa's swollen...
in the Underground Railroad
in the Underground Railroad Why do Pete Davidson, Conor McGregor and Donald Trump get so much attention? The Kardashian's offer peeks at altered body parts. Rihanna and Kayne have followers world-wide. What is the common denominator? Give up? They all perform on a...
Let’s have a real short talk,
Let’s have a real short talk, about black and white people in America. I observed a story involving a black man walking with two pre-teen white children. Of course, watching a story on YouTube and being present frame to frame (before any story can manifest) are very...
Loving life AND death
When the teacher appears, we may not acknowledge the lesson immediately. I am sharing an example. A few days ago at a potluck, I jokingly asked if your covered dish was beef tartare. You lifted the cover on the platter. I saw sliced cucumbers and tomatoes and . . ....
‘You will die today’,
'You will die today', greets me in the morning, some times. I used to quake, be rattled, and scrunch up under the bed covers. Now I get up, accept today is the day, shower, flush, brush, dress, collar Kaia and pull the door closed behind us. I help her up the portable...
3 Bits of Pieces
3 Bits of Pieces a Bit of History Mr. Trump has widened a wound, never fully closed, still festering, since Europeans landed on these shores and brought weapons, religion, a vision of riches, measles, smallpox, cholera, savagery to kill ‘savages’, and wiped out...
a Blank Page
a Blank Page She was ninety-five and bedridden for 30 plus years. There were caregivers and her window faced the Catholic Church spires. Laying there, looking out praying, she died. Deb and I were offered the apartment, if we moved everything out and did all the...
Wake-Up!
Wake-Up! See the other side, is as temporary as yours. The Pyramids are vanishing, through the many years. Many more years, before a dust to dust, full-circle. Are some tiny particles saying 'I want to be a pyramid again'. A seed sprouts, stalks, flowers, feeds the...
1 Family photo
In the beginning, terrifying darkness reigned and found easy entry into me. My angels jumped to and battened down the hatches. Invisible rays, body/mind closures and blanking*, kept me relatively safe and sound, in those early years. *Blanking: When I felt threatened...
a Tall Tale or a Short Story?
a Tall Tale or a Short Story? Dinosaurs walked these streets before us. We named them streets. Earth is earth, no matter what you call it. Give that a thought or longer So here we are, walking dinosaur streets. What follows? A Tall Tale, this wasn't. A Short Story, I...
the Past Connection
the Past Connection It’s wonder full to be here now and now. That is one dimension of reality. Another dimension is time in space, between the 3 dimensions of past, present, and future. It’s a relaxing place to be. Then there is the connective reality. This is where...
the BlackWhite divide
The BlackWhite divide in America is based in fear From the beginning; We need more hands, to prosper. I been bought to a strange land. We can’t lose what we got. Father, daughter, brother, mother, all sold. We will kill to stay on top. It’s better to be angry and...
What is really going on behind door #1?
These are dangerous times when a U.S. President is willing to create a 'Crusader War' with Iran, to mask his own evil rise to power. Amazingly enough, he made the same threats to North Korea, before he and Kim Jong-un became bosom buddies. The most frightening aspect...
We were at the lake
We were at the lake and Kaia dipped in a few times. I was on a bench at the water’s edge, the sun dropping across the lake, at my back. A kid and the young couple returned Kaia’s friendly greetings with their own joyous responses. I smiled, we chatted, she and I...
Secrets
Secrets A child in thought is how I most remember myself. A child talking little, thinking a lot, afraid a lot. Loving peace and quiet, hating when he comes home sick. Not understanding her when she rattles on in a language that seems to be English but somehow isn’t....
Your Worst Nightmare
Your Worst Nightmare I am your night mare bitch in heat volcanic ash budding embers laying-low until next time. Dishes pots and pans full food cans flung across the room puts ‘I love you’ to the test. Do you pass or fail to see the light of day each...
Capture the Flag
Capture the Flag is a fun kid's game. I've also played it with 20 men on opposing teams in the Canadian woods. If it were only a game, that'd be great. Regrettably it reflects life in the so-called real world. Winning trumps resolution. Lets break it down. The...
OM OM and OM
I read somewhere that God created us in Her image. Omnipotent: Her influence touches all life on earth and beyond. Omnipresent:Her presence is everywhere at the same time. Omniscient: Her knowledge is beyond our comprehension, so why bother to define it? Christ says...
War Game Memories
Imagine peering into black, hearing cans jangle, leaning on the M60, sweating bullets, knowing some little fucker is going to slip into the bunker and slit my throat. I got through another night unscathed. Yeah! * I lived in a 2 man bunker with a brother from Chicago....
We Do Her Too
It’s a winter’s night in our 13th floor bedroom. Both windows are wide open. The room smells like urine. We shiver from the cold. One cot mattress is wet and leans against the wall, so it will dry quicker. Both sides have been eaten through by too many accidents. We...
Taxi
Taxiii . . . When I returned from Vietnam I held many different jobs for short periods of time. For more years than I can remember I drove a New York City taxicab at nights and had a multitude of memorable experiences doing so. I once picked up three young people, a...
Hot Dog
Hey woman, run next door and tell Charlie we'd like some hotdogs. What did you say? What, I gotta repeat myself? This is the fourth of July. We supposed to have hot dogs. You must have lost your mind. The shock of them repossessing our clothes, furniture and...
Hard Knocks
bang bang banging on the door. “Open up! It’s the police!” I look down at the busted jug and at the dent in the wall, where the statue virgin mary whizzed past my head. Sure, I could have left run away years ago but each time we took another gamble. The gambling is...
Top Management
Rachel climbed the stairs. ‘One leg up down and pull up the rest of me. Left . . . right . . . left . . .’ More than a few times she stopped to suck in some thinning air. Rachel looked up through the spiraling steps. She still had a long way to go. She was like that...
I trust, I pray, I imagine
I trust spirit will move me in the highest way. I pray to be open and receptive whenever the call comes. I imagine joy pouring through my heart will drench all beings in torrential love. I imagine whosoever crosses my path will depart with every hair, cell and thought...
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
woman open your eyes you pour forth children come alive. man takes the credit for life rests in his hands he says pain is natural you were made from ribs stay in your place woman you bear the blossoms that return to earth open your mouth shout ENOUGH IS ENOUGH...
Suspects
Blind; without sight + Fold; body of believers = body of believers without sight. three scrawny brown men blindfolded kneeling foreheads in the dust elbows bound tight behind the ROK officer gives a command no sound from the three men a soldier unholsters his 45...
the Space Creep
We get stoned out on the gun. When Brady joins us with his big head, we crack jokes and run for cover. Run for your lives. The Space Creep has landed. Hey brother, take off that head. We hide behind sandbags to blast the Creep with bullets, grenades and the M72 LAW....
“Sorry you guys.”
B-52’s drop their bombs by accident Sergeant Scott sizzles napalm crisp Suzie & the kids back home get a letter. “Sorry you guys.” Fred Nicholson
WAR GAME
In my room on the bed green soldiers fight over cotton hills through woolen grass to wrinkled rivers rushing past. Fred Nicholson
a Bloody Tune in 1968
They bend him in half, bind ankles to wrists and drop him in the 55 gallon drum, so only his butt sticks out. Voice 1: How they keep them lil' skinny mo' fuckers from totally disappearing? Voice 2: Man, they fill them barrels halfway with rocks. The ROKS (Republic of...
“Where’d They Go?”
Suspected VC in a row, all trussed up like birds for roasting. The ROKS (Republic of Korean Soldiers) go about their daily regimen occasionally returning to kick or stomp a bird or two. After awhile we lose interest and go back inside to get high. A few days later I...
PAINFUL TUNE
He bangs on her head with the frying pan. I told you BONG to meet me BONG at nine o’clock not nine fifteen. BONG BONG I had to pay that fuckin’ cabbie SLAP extra BONG SLAP because you SLAP BONG “I’m sorry . . .” PUNCH don’t wanna’ listen. Now get in there PUNCH SLAP...
Dad Is Dead
He’s 83 today but looks younger in his black suit. I whisper to him and play with the fingers that respond unnaturally. His closed lids make me wonder if his eyes are still in there. For three days he lays in view of 60 empty chairs. My brother comes by with his wife....
EYE PEACE
Eye Peace we hold hands, mama and me, climb the steps to Lester Weintraub, OPTOMETRIST. he tests me with the chart, changes lenses in the two-eyed machine. blinds me with his pen light gizmo. says SEE YOU TOMORROW. we go back the next night, and he adjusts my new...
boy think MAN TALK
Come in here boy Sit down Let’s talk like men When there’s something on your mind let me know We’ll discuss it What we discuss is between you and me You’re not a man if you can’t keep a secret You got that? Good Let’s shake on it. * Boy Come in here Stand right there...
What You Gonna Do?
What you gonna do when HE comes for you? When HIS ship lands HE will first whisk all the other living organisms aboard, from land, sea and air. When they’re all comfy cozy HE will say to us humans, "I’m taking Christian, Muslim, Jew, and all other faiths too. I'm...
2 Rooms
He storms into the boys room, whips the clothing closet curtain back and hollers, What the . . . Girl . . . no, don’t you move a muscle. Girl come in here. You gotta see this. She shuffles into our room, cased in her sadness cloud and stands beside him. Look at...
Conversation with a coupla’ friends
I'm visiting a couple of friends. We're eating dinner and drinking wine. Sex enters the talk. He winks at me, looks at her and says, 'My wooden leg nourishes our sex life. Don't believe me, ask her'. Sylvia gets up to clear the table, stops and disdainfully says...
Silly Me
When I was 12, we lived in the Lillian Wald Housing Projects in the Lower East Side of New York City. Every summer we'd pass the Pitt Street Pool and hear the splashing and laughter coming from the other side of the high brick wall. That summer day mom said, “You all...
W O R D S
Funny they are. Sounds made by fluttering bits of flesh, received by tiny sculptured bone and interpreted by what I had stepped on in Malaysia. I had just got off the bus and was heading to the 'warang' eating stall to grab a quick bite. There was a fellow working on...
I Remember
Chuck bought another round of beers. He had returned from Afghanistan a few months earlier. We talked about his experiences for a while and then the war talk settled on Vietnam. He said, "The difference between Vietnam vets and other vets is the Vietnam vet didn't...
That 1 Bad Apple
If I had eaten a million and 2 apples, and each was more golden delicious than the last, I'd love apples. When I chomp down on the one-millionth and third and choke on a mouthful of rot, maggots and worms, our love affair may be changed from then on. Fear, manifesting...
Quit that Crying!
Smile! What’s the use of crying? Though your heart is aching and breaking, just keep smiling and maybe the sun will come shining through. When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by if you smile. Light up the gladness. Hide the sadness. Although a tear may be ever...
The Heart of Hearts
It takes courage to listen, hear and respond to our personal highest callings, when the hypnotic power of media, tradition and the baaing masses responding to the bleating of pious leaders pull us into darkness. We give military personnel Purple Hearts for wounds...
Kaia D
It's challenging to live being here now when most of us exist in before and after. When we are out and about Kaia sniff, sniff, . . . sniffs, being a dog. I'm thinking about this, that and the bacon I'm going to have for breakfast. *** Kaia D and me. D: You look at...
Welfare
Do you know what welfare means? It means I'm going with Ma and a big brown US Department of Agriculture bag open in the shopping cart to the Welfare Distribution Center in another project building, across from the basketball court. It means walking past the basketball...
Unpleasantries
Merriam defines it as 'an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger and accompanied by increased automatic activity'. I say, 'Huh?'. Roosevelt said the only thing to fear is fear itself. I agree with him. Roosevelt was not looked...
Show me forever!
Here’s an interesting read. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_empires This Wikipedia page lists the world’s largest empires by land area and GDP. For some unknown reason America doesn’t make the list. The USA has the largest military deployment in the world...
Who . . . me?
Black or white is how I sometimes perceive an incoming remark. One such example follows. A few weeks ago I called a friend while driving. A short time into our chitchat she asked if I was driving and I said, ‘No’. Nearing the end of our talk I admitted to having been...
Kids, Ladies, Gents & God
This afternoon I stopped at the Albertson’s crosswalk for the Oriental man pulling the grocery cart with two little bubbly kids side by side, one brown and one blonde, pushing. I heart smiled. ***** I've heard, “Morning little lady”. I haven’t heard anyone coin the...
Thank You.
When they think/say You're stupid, mad, a genius, sad, thin, fat, happy, glad, bright, dim, good or bad . . . just reply with a, 'thank you'. Let's try that on for size. What don't you like about yourself, in one word? I am . . . "Thank you. I Am all...
Homeward Bound
Check her out? Who? Over there, in the rain coat. Check out that booty. Man, she's cute. Yeah, but what is she doing here? Could be working for someone in the valley, but I've never seen her before. Look. She didn’t buy anything. Maybe she's hiding a flank steak...
Protected American Interests
We’re all American, right? The political types gobble-gobble about protecting American interests. Are they talking about protecting all our American interests or about their selected few? The next time you hear those 3 words (protecting American interests), ask...
Where is the Love in Business?
Love The Black Eyed Peas and Justin Timberlake sing, 'Where is the Love?'. I enjoy most of the Black Eyed Peas songs and lyrics. I work out to their fast beats at the health club. From the first time I listened to 'Where is the Love?' I was puzzled by one line in...
It’s not a laughing matter.
I hand the bank teller a twenty dollar bill. 'May I get two rolls of quarters?' 'Sure.' 'Its for my dog. I put her through the washer and dryer at the laundromat.' 'You what . . .' Yeah, she's in the car. We're going to the laundromat.' 'You're going to put your dog...
Are we really all one?
So here is a question for you? What does ‘we’re all one‘ mean? Here’s another! Do you believe it? Guys let's use a little imagination to put ourselves in the following scenario. So there you are biting dogs and popping corn with your men friends at your place. The...
in sync
We say, ‘change is inevitable’, believing the span it took to say it is rock solid. In the tiniest particle, change is evident. In stagnation there is change. Examine a mind or a pool with a microscope to prove it. Examine the bleached remains found on the Arizona...
New Story?
We’re bombarded by ‘up to the minute’ news stories every day. You’d think we would have moved on by now. You’ll understand my meaning shortly. Webster defines news as: a report of recent events. http://newsletter.lifetips.com/ says the word news was coined from the...
So, it’s 1956.
Here are a few memory joggers from back then. Elvis Presley introduced his hit single, 'Hound Dog'. Dwight Eisenhower is president and Richard Nixon is vice president of the United States. Fidel Castro and other revolutionaries land in Cuba. The Virginia legislature...
Memorial Grill Day
I’m in my car, tail end to the church, front end to a field, trees and sky, cloudy gray with fades of blue. It’s 12:09 pm, May 28th, 2012, Memorial Grill Monday. There will be uniformed parades, marching bands and mournful taps played at National Cemeteries. The...
It’s a Beautiful Day.
It's a beautiful day, isn't it? It certainly is. Would you like to go for a cup of coffee or tea afterwards? Sorry, I'm all tied up. I have to blah, blah, and blah. Why is it so difficult to say no? Being all tied up doesn't sound like a seed I'd like to cultivate...
SEER
"Who are you?" I asked. SEER "Who are you SEER?" I am lawlessness outside the confines of your cranial domain. I am naught but multi-dimensional madness frowned upon by your scholars who appear to be sane. I am the mustiness nesting in the dankness of your mind...
Your ass is mine.
I - Your Ass is Mine Officer Crowley drove his unmarked State Patrol vehicle south on the North Slope Highway. His thoughts were on the note Sue had neatly folded on the dining room table, before she left for her job at Harris General Hospital. His wife was an RN...
Story Pieces
Peace. It floats between chaos and dispassion. It’s hovers between flowing water and rock solid. We don't want to be so solid all we know is to resist. Nor do we want to be so fluid we'll follow anyone anywhere. Peace is inclusive of mind, and beyond it. Peace is the...
Ain’t cha’ mama on the . . .
. . . pancake box? Thats one of the things we'd say as kids, when we were putting someone down. At the time Aunt Jemima was a fat, smily, handkerchief head black woman. It meant your mother was a poor, fat, black servant in some capacity. Yesterday I happened to be in...
We Human Beings . . .
We human beings are one of a kind. There is no other specie that relates to its own kind as we do. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. What's all this ballyhoo about 'a right to life'? Whose right to life? The unborn . . .? What about supporting the right to...
In the Beginning . . .
Two older men chat and sip tea in the Supreme Cafeteria. Those gals forget how they got here. They call themselves Christian, yet don't know hoot about the Bible. If they did, there'd be no issue over who has legal and religious ownership of whatever goes in and...
Ladies, get real!
Ladies, with all this talk about liberation and freedom, haven't you forgotten something? Aren't you forgetting what we spared so you could live a life in service? Jesus, get real and show some thanks. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of...