“Nevada’s Black Rock glows perfectly white under a quarter moon at ten-thousand feet,” he told me, adding, “I can also say that mission was nearly flawless. Hell, my orders were to parachute from that 727 and that’s exactly what I did.” Lighting yet another cigarette, “However, I didn’t like being used as a pawn in their…

Childhood has a way of slipping by in the most painful way — through the spector of death. I came to this conclusion again after finding the name’s of two people I’ve known, listed in the obituary section of Crescent City, California’s local paper. Brad ‘Dode’ Lockhart and I went to Del Norte High together.…

One of my favorite tales from when my son was a little guy came as Kyle hugged me while he sat next to me on the couch “I love you, mommy,” he cooed. “I love you, too,” I responded, “But I’m daddy.” Without missing a beat, he relied, “Oh, yeah — right. I love you…

Poor Thomas’ Almanac for March 17: Today is the Feast of St. Patrick, or St. Patrick’s Day, whose said to have driven the snakes out of Ireland. Wonder if he could do that for Congress?

“Holy shit!” Jackson yelled as he came around the blind corner.  As if in slow motion, he watched as the child flipped through the air after bouncing off the grill of his truck. Jackson felt an awful pit well up inside himself as he raced to the child’s side – that’s when he realized the…

Two sharp pops interrupted the buzz of young voices. And for a moment an awful stillness hung over the classroom. It was my fourth day on the job as a substitute teacher. I had seven tours of duty in the Marines between Iraq and Afghanistan and I recognized the sound before it even registered in…

Mr. Saito sat quietly in his apartment sipping tea, folding pieces of paper into shapes and figures. It was more than a hobby; it was a way of life that had sustained him following the Pacific War, better known as World War II. A sharp rapping at his door broke the silence. There he found…

Never have I seen so many people fearful to help an animal in distress. Yeah, so the animal is 15-hundred pounds, around 15 hands high and scared shitless, but that doesn’t mean much if you use common sense. It began with the sound of metal grating on asphalt. Not like a bumper might have dropped…

When the old guy, dressed in black clothes and hat, carrying a walking-stick, entered the ‘Yacht Lot,’ Silvio ignored him because he could tell the man had no money. Silvio even tried dodging him when he turned and began walking in the salesman’s direction, but inexplicably he found the old man standing at his side…

My Mom and brother visited me last night as I dreamed. And boy, did they ever look swell. Mom was in her late 20’s or early thirties, legs curled under her as she sat in a favorite chair, reading an ‘Agatha Christie’ novel. She asked me to go to the basement and get us a…