Inspiration

“What about me, Daddy?” pleads Linus, age five.
“You’re on this side, son,” I answer, as I open my left arm across the quilt.
On the right, Camille nestles into the crook of my elbow, her tiny body snuggled like a pea in a pod.
Within minutes, they both doze off.
I don’t do so well flat on [...]

Read More...

The community rested on 28 acres of manicured lawns and gardens, nary a leaf out of place.
The poet found the perfection unusual, though not lacking in beauty.
He parked his car, crossed the lot and stepped into the foyer, as pristine on the inside as the outer grounds.
“Not bad, eh?” the older gentleman posited after the [...]

Read More...

The massive orb dominates the aqua crystalline backdrop of its own making, floods its rays on everything below.
The sky devoid of a single cloud seems as empty as I feel and the beach looks like an arid desert, molded by tireless wind and blazing heat.
I picture myself atop an Arabian camel, parched with thirst, crossing [...]

Read More...

Have you ever watched a runner stop and decide to sit down a few hundred yards from the finish line?
Would you remember if you did?
Or can you conjure marathon memories, Olympians staggering down the final stretch, falling, struggling to their feet, stumbling, tumbling and willing their bodies upright to somehow finish despite the anguish.
When was [...]

Read More...

I rode my bike today as I often do, three and a half miles down the flat thoroughfare that splits the island of Perdido Key.
I love to ride and when I do, I spend the time mapping out my day and searching for inspiration.
The wind fascinates me.
Sometimes, I catch a tailwind and glide along with [...]

Read More...

The man fumbled his way along the wooded path clutching at faded memories.
“So close,” he muttered under his breath, “always so close.”
He remembered as a child how his mother’s kiss could instantly vanquish any bump or bruise and how the cartoon super-heroes that adorned the Band-Aids over his cuts and scrapes gave him a sense [...]

Read More...

The boy stuck to his side of the street.
Growing up in the city, he never saw such huge trees, powerful enough to burst through the middle of the sidewalk and break the concrete with their roots.
He wasn’t used to the dogs and the birds and the flowers in almost every yard. He shuffled along deep [...]

Read More...

As usual, the food packed a monster bite.
I often wondered if they fixed it that way to counteract the oppressive humidity that constantly pushed the coastal temperature way past tolerable levels.
Thailand, land of gentle breezes and a thousand smiles, home to some of the kindest, most fun loving people on earth.
I smiled and joked with [...]

Read More...