Sundance Kid
The shaggy-haired boy has stopped his bicycle to watch a man on a machine unearthing blocks of cement. The boy plays with the strings from the hood of his sweatshirt. … Continue reading
Baby’s First Swim
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
The mother slowly hands her infant to his father, who waits in the shallow end of the hotel swimming pool. The baby…
A Pledge to Curl Up With More Books
“Always I find when I begin to write there is one character who obstinately will not come alive. There is nothing psychologically false about him, but he sticks, he has … Continue reading
A Small Winter Story in July
Phillip is so tiny for his age. Even among the Kindergarteners, he is miniscule. Heading out to play, he is about to wear his house-shoes outdoors. The kids are bundling … Continue reading
Pick Me Up
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
The Taksim bus station, night and day, hosts chaos. Buses line up and depart from four doubled-up lines and feature the soundtrack…
Should We Be Taking Advice From Cookies?
Opened this fortune the other day with a bit of a jolt! 🙂 Have a nice weekend! The word happiness was often used, although since they were all in their … Continue reading
Another Love Story Where Nothing Happens
He is hustling across the U-Bahn station, but as he passes the elevator, he slows his pace. Then he shifts his path to head for the stairs. There is a … Continue reading
Caught, Captured, Heaven-Forbid Memorialized.
At first, the poet looks like all the other men at the table. He turns toward the PowerPoint slide of the painting that the panel was meant to discuss. The … Continue reading
Macho Maço Man
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
He struts wide, pacing to both sides of the sidewalk as he walks. He thrusts his arms out, adjusting his button-up shirt…
Screening
Emir, one of the men working at security, introduces himself. Polite, friendly, grinning and testing his English. Austrian airport security seems a long way from home. He asks about my … Continue reading
Old-Fashioned
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
Flipping through a fashion magazine, the woman gazes past the words and tries to entertain herself with the pictures. On an interesting…
Solitude with an Encore
She’s sitting alone, yet she wraps herself in a full embrace under a red pashmina. She looks meek, but wears ballet flats with sparkles. A hardback peers out the top … Continue reading
On Dogs and Tough Guys
The slim, green-eyed teenaged boy wears the now-typical skinny jeans, flashy shoes, and puffy black coat. He stands with his elbows out a bit, holds his arms away from his … Continue reading
On Finishing Up
The creation of something complete and whole, be it good or bad–and if it’s never entirely good, it’s very often not all bad–yes, the creation of something complete seems to … Continue reading
Giddy Arrivals
The young girls break free from the distracted travelers entering the main terminal. They spot their father straightaway, call “Daddy, daddy!” and rush to him by cutting around various legs … Continue reading
If The Shoe Rips
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
There’s a Norman Rockwell-styled advertisement featuring a cobbler diligently crafting some durable soles. He is sketched in a moment of peering up…
To The Happy Couple
He is one single year old, toddling freely around the wedding during the toasts. He stops by a rather good audience member and distracts her. She acknowledges him politely, seeks … Continue reading
Lukewarm
It’s not the cold, passionless ones who become great ascetics, but the most hot-blooded people with something worth renouncing. –Antal Szerb. Journey By Moonlight.
Solo
In the tiny café, one has to adapt to custom and share a table with a stranger. I receive a welcome from a woman with hip glasses and excellent posture. … Continue reading
The Chances We Take
Such a lovely moment in the airport to see the couple stop and kiss. In the spontaneous moment, their children take a few more steps, then turn to look up … Continue reading
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