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The Clock On The Wall: A Play In Eight Acts
Act 1: Sitting at an IBM workbench. I knew the call would come soon. I was soldering diodes onto a computer chip. The resin smoked. The phone rang in my manager’s office. Go home to your wife, he said, she called and said it’s time. I pass by the electronic parts window. A guy says…
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Gone and Still Forgotten in God’s Acre
“When out of sight, quickly also out of mind.”–Thomas a Kempis They’re everywhere, like abandoned cars in the South Bronx (ca 1972), only you don’t see them on your way to the Bodega. No, these are found in the verdant fields and well-kept lawns of cemeteries in counties like Westchester, NY or Crittenden, VT. They…
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Where Are You Going, My Brown-Eyed Son?
Oh, where are you going, my brown-eyed son? There you were, a small shadow on a monitor. Small and washed by changing shades of black and white amid countless lines that made watching difficult. The Technician slowly moved the grey piece of equipment around the oiled skin of your mothers swollen abdomen. There. Right there.…
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Last Stop: Tir Na Nog!
Hardly a mythology exists that doesn’t include a “Land of Eternal Youth” tale. It could be a Shangra-La, isolated in a mountain valley somewhere or Ultima Thule for those brave souls who travel to the Northern Realms. There are Gypsy versions and Japanese variations, but, for my money, the Irish story is the most haunting…
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The Lawn and the Short of It
Why are people afraid of trees? The Adirondack State Park, where I live, has something like 6,000,000 acres of land. This great northern forest was to be held “forever wild.” That was stated in Albany in the 19th century. Now, it seems logical to me (I’m not Plato, mind you) that those who choose to…
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Epitaphs: Part I
Anyone with a good eye can find a zillion stories in cemeteries. That’s saying a great deal about a place where only mute stones stand there to speak to you. The dead can’t tell their tales and in most cases, there will be no one around to tell of a life and give those reposing…
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Now It’s Time to Get Real
For a number of months now, I’ve been posting short blogs that were mostly fiction in nature. Among these were a few that were based on memories and dreams (reality or wish based?). Today, I’m going to begin to mix it up a bit with non-fiction ramblings and musings. This is where I get…
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Are You Somewhere Up Above?
That’s right. It’s class reunion time again. These events come around so fast these days, it’s like speed dating. The years are passing rapidly now. It seems like I was looking forward to my 20th just a short time ago. Now, I’m dreading the approaching 50th. So, one more time, I’ll sign up, send in…
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If You Build It They Will Go
I wish this story was not being written. I wish the slate of my memory could be wiped clean. I curse the Muse who invades my dreams, finds me in my idle hours and dumps thoughts I can barely recall would just go away. Just go away and leave me to sit in peace. But,…
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The ‘AA’ From Another World
I do believe that I am the only person in the Western Hemisphere, if not the World who is haunted and terrified by an AA battery. I must hurry to tell you this story, before they tell you that visiting hours are over and they bring my tray of medications. Once I take these small…