It was Lulu Belle that caught scent of the odor first. The bull mastiff paused and sniffed the air with vigorous huffs of breath, before turning around to look at Hutch. At first the big dog didn’t want to continue, but Hutch, absentmindedly unable to recognize the dogs body language, urged Lulu Belle to move…

The old man walked up and down the street a couple of times each day. And each day he looked more and more haggard and ragged. It was obvious to Hutch that he was homeless and probably living out among the sage brush with the jack rabbits and coyotes. On what he figured to be…

The young man was lead to a small cell with a door marked “pull” in red lettering on its interior. He stood in the middle of the room, listening to the jangling of the keys as the attendant locked the heavy metal door. Above the door frame, in a simple cursive font: “A man will…

Staring at the starry sky It occurs to me that I am Looking at a box lid with Holes punch through it so We can continue to breath.

Invent yourself Then reinvent yourself Work hard — play harder Dirty hands and filthy sweat Filthy mind and dirty laughter Frequent the neighborhood watering hole The local dive Drink cheap whiskey Drink expensive beer Stay away from mini-umbrellas And learn to ride a horse Rope a cow Ride a bull — bareback — and Drive…

He awoke alone in his very familiar room, yet there was a subtle difference, which he picked up on immediately. It was a minor stab of guilt from the night before, after having done something he had never dreamed of normally doing. Attempting to put the memory aside, he tried desperately to return to sleep.…

How the practical joke had taken a turn for the worst for him. He was now locked in the refrigeration unit with a dozen dead bodies and no one knew it, save for himself and the man he’d scared half-to-death. “I never thought he’d run like that and lock me in here,” the would-be-prankster said…

no money, no faith begging for work is a skill tears are like daily bread

Two-hundred and forty-six people went to bed anticipating the following mornings rush to catch flights. Another 2,606 people crawled between the sheets, ready for the next morning’s routine hustle of office work . Three-hundred and forty-three firefighters and eight paramedics laid down, resting up for a hectic morning shift. And finally, 60 police officers turned…

As I battle this writer’s block, I’m reminded of Sun Tzu’s quote: “If you know the enemy And you know yourself, You need not fear the Results of a hundred battles.” The blade was not half as dull As the pain, when I removed My once offending writing hand.