Jul 22The Penitent MagdaleneFinding the sacred within the common, he fled at the glint of his rival’s knife w/ the prostitute he’d make a saint. They ran through dark Roman streets to the Cardinal’s apartments, stone lions regarding them as they stood at the threshold. He put a finger to her lips and spirited…2 min read2 min read
Oct 25, 2021Inanimate ObjectsAfter driving for hours, the truck appears to have come to a stop. I am packed tightly into a huge cardboard box in the back. It is pitch black and deadly quiet in here, with no fresh air to speak of. Or I may be holding my breath. The door…Halloween3 min readHalloween3 min read
Sep 11, 2021September 11 ReflectionSeptember 11 Reflection Twenty years later, my memories of September 11 are like a slideshow: Walking down Lexington Avenue in Manhattan and noticing the bluest of skies and the sun reflecting off the Chrysler Building; on the Brooklyn-bound 4, looking up from my newspaper when we didn’t stop at Fulton…9 11 Attacks2 min read9 11 Attacks2 min read
Jul 5, 2021July 4, 2021This 4th of July, in the slice of America that I saw, We The People got back to basics. Early in the morning from southeastern Louisiana, banjo player Don Vappie read the Declaration of Independence aloud during his Coffee on the Porch hang. WWOZ in New Orleans laced the Declaration…Don Vappie1 min readDon Vappie1 min read
Apr 22, 2021Forest BathingTo forest bathe, shinrin-yoku, I ride my bike to the old cemetery, locking it up with my helmet by the gatehouse. I begin walking, following the streets named after trees, Linden to Sycamore to White Oak. I go off-road to paths chosen by the degree of shade they provide. I…Earth Day1 min readEarth Day1 min read
Mar 19, 2021Weathering the Pandemic with New Orleans Jazzman, Don VappieIn any normal year, Don Vappie, a New Orleans band leader and renowned banjo player, would have gone on tour to promote his then newly released album, The Blue Book of Storyville. As we all know by now, 2020 was anything but a normal year. So, a year ago, on…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
