An American In Madison

Fat motorcycles, trendy folk and hangers on, people pretending they know what the hell they’re doing and making laws between tequila shots, getting married, getting buried, kicking sand a long way from the beach and no art, no God damn art, unless you think its therapeutic and then we’re all artists. I hear thunder in…

Rhapsody In Blue

When I was a boy, I listened to this song. You cannot hear it now, I know. There are a lot of songs you can’t hear anymore. The Song of Roland; the song of my heart when first we kissed, the Song of Bernadette. No, I never kissed her; the song of half a dozen…

New Glory

Stop asking as though you had a right to anything but the chance to keep trying. Stop complaining. Stop planning to retire and give thanks for the job. Invent some way to make life better for anyone but yourself. Tell fools the truth. Fight only to the death. Live beyond your means in love until…

Half Staff

I’ve just about lost count, haven’t you? Who is it this time? How many shot dead and duly recognized? I’ll tell you what it means if it means anything at all, Old Glory in decline, the lowering of all we held sacred until the banner never meant to fall itself lies useless, lifeless on the pavement. What…