Weight Weight…Don’t Tell Me
Waiting for a three a.m. flight after their vacation, the couple weigh themselves on an airport baggage scale. She giggles before stepping up on the square silver platform. Her husband … Continue reading
Potential (and Shelf Life)
Over there [in America] you think of nothing but becoming President of the United States some day. Potentially every man is Presidential timber. -Henry Miller. Tropic of Cancer.
Clock Watching
The shuttle heading north is supposed to leave the airport at 8:05 pm. The elderly pair in the front seat wait. The driver leaves the door open and the shuttle … Continue reading
On the Path, Nonetheless.
Writing is the only activity which makes me feel “only I could produce this.” Whether or not “this” is of any use is of course the crucial question to which … Continue reading
Fishing With the Straßenbahn-Netz
A man sweeps the sidewalk in front of the hotel, casting gravel into a diminishing snowbank just past the curb. He wears a purple sweater over a white shirt, navy … Continue reading
Go and Look
“All the critic can tell you with regard to Titian’s Entombment of Christ, perhaps of all the pictures in the world, is to go and look at it. What else … Continue reading
Refresh
Sorry to be remiss, but I’m on a trip. Taking a little time to refresh both the spirit and the story reserves. Slated for next week: a baby with some … Continue reading
Someone to Watch Over Me
The lady behind me at the stoplight has a very tired looking Guardian Angel figurine hanging from her rearview mirror. For good reason. Since pausing, she’s been engaging in an … Continue reading
It Seems The Errands Run You…
A Kindergarten-aged girl walks by displays of shirts, organized by color and size. She runs her hand along the sleeves and gazes up at her mother, who totes a baby … Continue reading
Don’t Mess With
An anxious Austrian college boy wears a Texas t-shirt, tucked in, and one can see his belt up high on his ribs as he sits in a low café chair. … Continue reading
Don’t Quit Your Day Job
Writing was the sole activity of his life, but not his sole happiness. He knew he had to work like everybody else. He could enjoy doing other work. Yes, if … Continue reading
Agency
I dare to unearth the Turkey travel guide in their presence. Yes, it is in English and the four old Turkish men are all trying to communicate with me in … Continue reading
My Carrot-Towel Confusion
He’s among a dozen men with stands to sell fruits and vegetables on the Naschmarkt. We’ve became pals because one day I tried to ask for carrots in Turkish and … Continue reading
The Life of the Spirit…Gosh!
“I wish I could make you see how much fuller the life I offer you is than anything you have a conception of. I wish I could make you see … Continue reading
The Deliberation: To Crock Pot Or Not
They were the third pair that day mulling over the used crock pot at the back of the thrift store. Ultimately, everyone shops the same. A teenaged girl and her … Continue reading
Benim Kızım and Other Cures for Airsickness
The general rustling of reading material charges through the airplane. Everyone shifts in their seat, digs through the belongings that should be stowed under the seat. The whole middle section … Continue reading
The Admirer
It is a weird thought that anyone is permitted to love anyone and in any way he pleases. Nothing in nature forbids it. A cat may look at a king, … Continue reading
Acquiesce (and Check, please)
The young couple sits together on the same side of the booth. The boy tries to teach his completely beautiful girlfriend how to play chess–or not how to play, precisely, … Continue reading
Courteous Cardio (or My New Old Friend)
I enjoy the solitude of the vacant cycling room, until an elderly man peeks in sheepishly. I beam. (By now it should be clear that the elderly are my favorite … Continue reading
The Forms
The foreverness of real love is one of the reasons why even unrequited love is a source of joy. The human soul craves for the eternal of which, apart from … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 