I'm always a little late to a party (well, to most things), so this is no exception.  I don’t usually do political, but today I received e-mail “Action Alert” from the American Family Association (AFA), and I opened it, perhaps against my better judgement.  In any case, I… Read full post »

velvet petals scent

blooming to my breathless kiss

bringing forth the dew Read full post »

Brewster, one of our cats, is timid by nature.  She is very sweet, very talkative, but very timid.  Unfortunately, several feline members of the "general population" cannot resist tormenting her at every turn, which then causes her to literally and figuratively… Read full post »

Once upon a time

I lost my voice

And the thick ice got thinner

and I heard it creaking as I

walked toward the dark center

where I thought I would be comforted

by cold water

turning to sleep

turning to night

turning to stars

to hell with damnation

 … Read full post »

Part I is here, if you want the background.

Part II is available here, for the middleground.

The Sinker

Part I is here, if you want the background

The Hook

The hook is the pointy barbed wire curve which, by definition, is designed to ensnare. 

Where does one begin?  The messages are many, and mixed:&nb… Read full post »

Part II is available here, for the middleground.

Part III is finally done, if you want the “ending.”

Fair Warning: 

All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will… Read full post »

My love affair with basketball began watching my uncles play on the rim fixed above Grandma and Grandad M.'s garage door. Dad played too, and although piano was more his forte, he held his own.  Grandad watched me watching them, and mounted a peach basket with the bottom cut… Read full post »

If there is a deity, s/he has a sense of humor, irony, and poetry.  My brain nearly exploded yesterday, first because of the Iowa decision on gay marriage (I find myself cautiously optimistic), then because my buttons got pushed (you can read my post about that, if you want to). 

Late… Read full post »

I was feeling pretty good after reading Michael Fox’s well written post “Iowa’s Gay Marriage Decision: What is Ways and What it Means”.  Then I read Mishima666 extensive commentary (same post – you’ll see it).  My feathers are quite ruffled, and I&/… Read full post »

By Wednesday of the week, I had already put in more than 40 hours.  By the end of this week it may be close to 70.  Those comments you saw?  Those were my rewards to myself for getting things done under looming, threatening deadlines piled with additional, urge… Read full post »

tired to the bone

your touch rouses instantly

i rise for your taste Read full post »

You know, I've thought about going to grad school.  Seems like a perfectly plausible place for an Owl to perch.  It's possible that the following may have something to do with my choice not to go that route.  I have a million stories about great teachers.  This is not on… Read full post »

It’s not like I hadn’t had a few signs that I wasn’t one of the guys, hard as I tried to be.  If we played house, I wanted to be the dad (or the bad kid that needed to be spanked, but that’s probably another story).  I wanted grow up to/… Read full post »

Dear Mom,

I just wanted you to know how good it is to be able to talk with you now, without the lump in your throat – the one that nearly choked you for the first 10 years after I “came out” to you and Dad.  With Easter approaching, it made… Read full post »

I think I figured something out today.  Actually I figured out a few things, but I haven't quite gotten my brain around it all yet.  Things are in bold, follow-up thoughts in regular text, and please forgive me if I mess up attributions.

Thing 1.  Reading and Writing on OS opened… Read full post »

I'll be honest here.  I wrote a piece today that I feel pretty ok about.  This is a considerable feat, considering that my writing muscles have atrophied over the years, and honestly, I'm trying to figure out how to dig deep again; I'm trying to rekindle that fire of inspiration, to… Read full post »

My oldest brother is about 3 years younger than I am, and it's a wonder he made it through infancy.  I don't remember any particular sibling rivalry, but I've been thinking about a few incidents from before my second brother was born, and it calls my innocence into question. … Read full post »

I've spent more time today reading about the current Economic Fuckery (I'm fucked, you're fucked, they're fucked, we're all fucked.).  Like everyone I know, I was thinking about it anyway, so may as well take in more information (I wish it helped).  I hesitated to put my thoughts on th… Read full post »

Although my mother surely gave birth to me, she often looked at me as though I must have hatched.  I can't entirely blame her - most adults gave me that look once in awhile. Besides, from what I can gather between family mythology and early memories, I'm a little surprised it… Read full post »

It’s not that I need a rationale.  People have been putting their mark on the world since the mound-builders and cave painters.  Words alone tend to have a fairly short shelf-life, even when written; if they’re set to music, it seems to give them a little boost.

Se… Read full post »

I guess it’s obvious that this is my first post to Open Salon.  It may become obvious that it’s my first blog post anywhere, ever.  In any case, I’ve decided to use this virgin post as a spot to introduce myself to the community I’ve been admiring since whe/… Read full post »