Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. I hope it is a good one for you.

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FATHER’S DAY, PART 2

With Father’s Day just past, there has been renewed emphasis on the subject of the special role baseball plays in the relationship between a boy and his dad. Major League Baseball’s recent television ads have been slanted this way, for sure. They know a winning concept when they see it. And, who can deny that baseball is often the secret formula that unlocks the doors existing between a man and his son, between a boy and his progenitor?Read More

maggy and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
its always ourselves we find in the sea

I grew up and have spent most of my life 30 miles from the ocean – well, the Gulf of Mexico, strictly speaking. And though in the interim I have traveled far and wide, and at times oriented myself  toward inland instead of offshore, the truth is the ocean has never been very far from my mind.

There is just something about it. I cannot really explain; though I have attempted to in writing, over and over, over the years. The feeling of the sun on my skin, the smell of coconut oil mixed with salt air, the partying, the camaraderie with other beach-goers. The relaxation. The inner peace.

I have tried earnestly, but I never have quite captured it. And I don’t suppose I ever will.Read More

She was the first girl in the neighborhood
To wear tied-dyed pants, like she should
She was the first girl that I’ve ever seen
That had flowers painted on her jeans

Time for another excavation from the archives, this time a story about a girl who got away. She is never coming back.

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When the moon is round and full
Gonna teach you tricks that’ll blow your mind
Mongrel mind

It’s that time again. Time for installment number four from the archives, that is.  AA-OOO-WOOOOOOO!!

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HAUNTED

My cousin and I were out riding around one afternoon in his pickup truck, around the rice field roads out west of town, drinking beer and listening to an Astros game.  It was an activity we really enjoyed.

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They say every man must need protection
They say every man must fall
Yet, I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall

I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east
Any day now, any day now
I shall be released

Installment number three, from the archives. Somehow, everything in life seems to always boil down to the smile of a beautiful woman.

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DELLA WITH THE BLUE DRESS ON

I am sure she is still out there somewhere, rotating around some distant sun. All five-foot-nothing of her, straight brown hair almost down to her waist. Just a freaky little girl, kind of a hippie chick, almost.  It seemed like she was always wearing a sleeveless blue denim dress that came down to her knees, and a pair of white Dr. Scholl’s sandals, the kind with wooden soles.

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Friday the 13th? What of it?

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DARKNESS, DARKNESS

So I have this mouth shut-off button installed on the side of my head, and I am constantly laying on it full force to try and stop some of the really stupid shit before it ejects from my mouth. No way I can stop it from running through my head, but . . . It is the end of spring, the beginning of summer. This is normally one of the brightest times in my year. This year, though, the darkness is unrelenting. I need another button that shines a Q-Beam, to try and see through the blackness. I’d be laying on that one, too, if I had it; not that it would do much good now.

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