Julius Brooks, the world and the horn
It was unexpected to be sure. The plunk of the piano wound its way back through the narrow hallway to the furthest alcove in the back room and drifted above [...]
Read More →
Posted January 06, 2016in Joe's Neighborhood
Posted December 23, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
The artist and the doctor who sits next to his patients
The door pushes inward to warmth and people and noise. The young men in front of us are momentarily stuck at the entrance. The cold of the outside is fighting [...]
Read More →
Posted December 16, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
The bird lady
“Feed the birds, tuppence a bag Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag Feed the birds, that’s what she cries While overhead her birds fill the skies.” Feed the Birds — Mary Poppins [...]
Read More →
Posted December 09, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
‘As American as pumpkin pie’
“As American as pumpkin pie.” An interesting thing to say about our relationship to a squash. Certainly, the ingredients are a melting pot of pumpkin, ginger, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, milk, [...]
Read More →
Posted December 02, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
Cartoonist by night
“My nickname is Bucky. My real name is George. My mom didn’t want to call her little boy George, although she did agree to the name. My next oldest brother [...]
Read More →
Posted November 25, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
Was romance murdered?
Romance is fickle in the best of times. You light the candles. You pour the wine. You turn on slow jazz. And… the topic of your mother comes up. How [...]
Read More →
Posted November 18, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
The tenant farmer’s son
The jury sits attentively. Young and old. Casual and dressed. White and one African-American. They watch the lawyers. They glance discreetly at the defendant. And then they look to the [...]
Read More →
Posted November 11, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
A cat’s life
At 5:15 this afternoon, the vet is coming to put our cat down. It’s hard to believe. Chester lies still on a blanket on our son’s bed. An old guy. [...]
Read More →
Posted November 04, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
The determined orphan
The youthful-looking man comes out on the stage trailing the announcer. He is dressed all in black, with black hair, black short beard and dark eyes. A dancer for sure, [...]
Read More →
Posted October 28, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
Tin containers with a dollop of love
Her dangling foot hangs loose in the air, tapping to some silent beat as she talks. If you look closely, a spiral tattoo loops around the fine bones at the [...]
Read More →
