maybe nowhere

the shortest distance

may have been a challenge

but was always the preferred

and expected path

cutting yards, hopping

fences, dodging traffic

stealth and timing

were imperative

movements adjusted to

ensure avoidance of hawk-eyed,

cranky, blue-haired neighbors

or the occasional police cruiser

to race or meander

going wherever, whenever

or maybe

nowhere at all

Y're Out!

Porter was a mean somabitch. Old-timers said he made Cobb look like a choirboy. Put two in the hospital, one ‘bout died. Suspensions, Anger Management, 12 Steps, maybe he got religion. Commissioner said, “Last chance!”

Vegas had a line on how long he’d survive. Late August, he’s flirting with 400. It’s baseball, the world of redemption and miracles.

Blazing, sweaty afternoon. He’s up in the eighth, one for three. Swings early at first and low at the next. Ump calls third strike and is ravaged by a flailing bat. Benches freeze. Cops wrestle Porter off the field…for the last time.

extra info:

My micro-fiction (short, short story) placed 3rd in the Cascadia Weekly 2019 contest (March 6, 2019 edition). For details and more stories follow this link: Cascadia Weekly Fiction 101

Worry No More

I’m turning 65 in a few, too short days.

Another of those seeming inevitable happenings,

a lesson in the passing of time,

the stages of life,

and, oh yes,

a reminder of my begrudging lack of control.

I stand at the intersection of, “I don’t want to die”

and the certainty that, “I don’t want to live forever.”

You know, trying to choose between my fears of pain

or that dwindling “quality of life” business.

One thing I ask. And I hope it’s not too much.

If there is any possibility,

please, don’t let death have its way

while in the midst of this political sewer.

I mean I’ve got kids and grandkids.

And I’d like to think I could have the peace

of leaving them in a better place,

with a whisper of hope,

when I say that last goodbye

and cross over to that place

where I hope to worry no more.

February 2019

Read at SpeakEasy 23 - March 2, 2019