Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn

One never tires of New York City.
Start spreading the news.
San Francisco dances like a gypsy on the Bay
A red bracelet dangles from her cliffs
In Brooklyn we walk
Over there, they drive
Two libraries within walking distance
Books are due
‘The Art of Crochet’
‘The Iliad’
‘Jesus– A Story of Enlightenment’
Our neighborhoods are of mixed races
The blocks are close
To the right– a [...]

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The Hogs of November

Carl Cauffman butchered pigs on Thanksgiving.
We shot a chosen, fattened few from the herd at Cauffman pigpens in Saltillo. Early in the morning on Thanksgiving, just as the sun mounted the hillsides of Central Pennsylvania, taking on the subtle trot of daytime, I watched as the pig killings went down.
While most across America watched the [...]

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Kick the Cans

Barron was abducted during a game of kick- the- cans. My little brother vanished into the pine- scented air behind our home. I prayed that he hadn’t been taken away by aliens in a UFO.
The sun was down and stars already dotted the purple and orange sky. Crickets were crooning in an evening opera of [...]

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Netting for Minnows

Perhaps I was a bad brother. We haven’t spoken much since adolescence. Ever since Bill wrecked his knee in high school football, he hasn’t really spoken to me. My words must have hurt him terribly– more than that aching knee–
“Well, so much for becoming the second Lynn Swan!” I teased. “You just knew you were [...]

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The Neediest Case

 
I’ve been suspended from work without pay again this week. Yesterday, Maria Barreto read a second final warning to me– one that promised ‘this is your real final warning’.
The Jewish Board is being sleazy. My suspension without pay has nothing to do with job performance. This is the second time I have been suspended without [...]

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Huntingdon Daily News

I placed Edna Swope’s newspapers in her hands. Never did I slam a wrapped bundle of paper against her door. The noise of a harshly-delivered newspaper may have given her a heart attack. I pampered many, old, white-haired ladies along my paper route. The little Pennsylvania town is a retirement community. The dedication paid off. [...]

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Plans of the Obama Transition Team

President Obama’s economic stimulus package will likely include millions of dollars in funding for the arts.
Millions for violins may seem like wasteful spending to many, initially, when still there are no jobs and money is earmarked by a president with very big ears for communities that still matter.
In the end, the investment into the backbone [...]

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Book Review– Anne Rice– Road to Cana

Anne Rice’s “Road to Cana” is much better than her first attempt at redemption through creating the novel– “Christ the Lord- Out of Egypt”. She wrote this one in California, during what must have been a most difficult time in her life. Her love for God is evident in this book.
Her husband, Stan Rice the [...]

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Bastard Out of Pennsylvania

The art of maintaining a clean, neat home was second nature to Lou. Never did dirty dishes clutter the kitchen sink, nor did dust gather as tiny tumbleweeds within the seams of a coiled rug that she vacuumed at least three times a week. Her children were still toddlers. Both boys crawled around in heavily [...]

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