Shattered ambitions litter the roadside of expectations, ignored by parents, neglected by school, yet filled with all the yearning that are youth made vulnerable, so when a kind man paid attention, told of the blessings of Allah, the kinship of true believers, it was an easy task to reveal the afterlife, the promise of fulfillment for servants of Islam […]
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Hey you Yeah you I heard your conversation You’re leaving us? Yeah, well just know one thing This isn’t such a sweet little town Oh, believe me, it’s not a sweet little town This town has some crazy shit going on Would you believe me if I told you– Wait, you’re not going to believe me Come on, look at […]
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Parents Night Emma used to do real good in school her mother tells her new teacher. It’s Parents Night at Ryland Elementary. Mostly mothers in attendance. What’s the problem, her mother asks. Fifth grade shouldn’t be hard for her. Emma’s never had a grade lower than a B, her mother says. Teacher says Emma doesn’t do her homework and talks a lot in class. Her mother can’t believe it. Says her […]
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A Bit of News Not Fake An article in the paper reports something one doesn’t see happen in America very often. Eighty billionaires, millionaires and others close to that level in New York have written to their lawmakers and governor asking to have their taxes raised. They want to support schools, build roads and bridges, and help the poor […]
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In the World I’m tired of the high-minded voices I know talking about not being of the world. Like, what does that really mean? I’m the substance of this known universe. I have dirt under my nails. I eat from the ground. Get used to it. It’s not that I disagree with their stance on life, the universe, and a […]
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Sun falls on parched earth Scorched remains linger All about is still… waiting The clap of thunder is heard A rumble in the distance …hope is kindled An expectant breath catches …in my chest But it was a tease, not a promise The winds change Once again I am abandoned Used up Brittle, thirsting and alone… Beneath the shared […]
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My friend, Edith Giles, is the mom of my childhood friend Tom. Tom is kind and loves sports and was my childhood protector against the likes of Michael Lombardi in grammar school. My brother Ed was another who looked out for me. Mrs. Giles would always say hello, how are you, and would read my writing, something always important […]
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The Path of Art II In primitive times unknown individuals painted on cave walls not for interior decoration, but artistic expression, that would unlike today, with no gallery opening for an elite crowd, perhaps just the clan, yet if they saw the strange images might have burned, stoned, banished the strange one, rather than give a scathing review in […]
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Complacency You had the world eat from your hand And thought you had it made To fade into your fantasies. Nobody came to put you down, And so you never rose; You smiled and sang in blindness And your wine glass sweetly flattered you. Supremely bored, And worshipping the needs that passed you by You paused, to consult […]
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Practice Painting In my mind, it was going to be a perfect representation of the photo taken on our honeymoon. Holy statue figure, light flowing in, a bit of greenery tucked at the side, a small stone wall. But what made it to the canvas was a child’s rendering of a ghost with blots of green. The light didn’t even […]
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