Interview with The Poet

In celebration of National Poetry Month, I’ve interviewed poet Jessica Kristie. A Rod McKuen 8-Track. That was my first exposure to poetry and looking back, it didn’t resonate with me because if my sisters liked it then I wanted no part of it. And if this guy was so special, how come he didn’t have […]

In Defense of Football

My son is a high school football player and I love watching him play the game. I never played organized football.  When I started sixth grade, I told my dad I wanted to play ball.  And he said no.  Dad was afraid I would hurt myself so he told me I couldn’t play.  End of […]

Boxing with God

I’m going to jail, and I’m scared. A couple months back, a very good friend of mine asked me a tough question.  And I should have said no.  If I had, I wouldn’t be in this position.  I would not be going to jail and I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about whether or not […]

#ThrowBackThursday

I’m a fairly emotional guy.  I don’t mean that I cry often, rather I tend to linger over fond memories.  Perhaps too much.  Maybe that’s why I enjoy looking through old photographs.  Recently my wife asked me to help her find a photo of us from Mardi Gras.  We broke out stacks of real photos […]

Merry Christmas Amy

I spent half of 2013 on crutches as I recovered from reconstructive knee surgery that came with a lengthy period of rehab.  That May we celebrated our 26th anniversary with a long weekend at our favorite place, Fripp Island SC.  I could only walk very short distances but I could pedal a bike.  So on […]

On Your Left!

  I heard them coming.  The crunch of rubber tires on dried leaves, the click of a rear derailleur, the gentle whoosh of spokes beating the air; there was no need to look over my shoulder because I knew I had company.  I held my line and waited.  Surely one of them would offer up […]

Eyes Up!

A handful of shimmering leaves, shades of green, yellow, and gold, twisted through my field of vision.  Moistened by the midnight rain, they fluttered to the road, clung to the rocky shoulder, and twirled into the mist. A feathery blanket of fog melted into the valleys while sunlight sparkled on the peaks of the Blue […]

Ollie Who?

  “So who’s been to the Panama Canal?  Can I see a show of hands?” I looked around cautiously.  Of the 20+ folks in the room; myself and the lecturer were the only ones with our hands down. The lecturer, an imposing gentleman with the memorable name of Myles Standish, shrugged his shoulders and announced […]

The Smile of a Stranger

  After the rain broke, I took a short bike ride on the Swamp Rabbit trail. I slowed for an approaching cyclist at the intersection of Wardlaw Street. A kid on a beat-up ten speed bike (an old Schwinn) came flying down Wardlaw. He jammed on the brakes, skidded onto the SRT, stood on the […]

A Tale of Two BBQ’s

  Hudson Denney has just handed me perhaps the most memorable bite of BBQ I’ve ever had.  It’s beef brisket; tender as a poem by Byron, more complex than a fine Bordeaux, redolent with spice, smoke, acid, sweetness, and cherry wood overtones.  Hudson can tell I’m impressed by my wicked smile.  I’ve been coming to […]