‘Every punch hurts’
A knockout is clean and simple. You get knocked down. You don’t get up. It’s all over. No more floating like a butterfly or stinging like a bee. The end. [...]
Read More →
Posted March 25, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
Posted March 18, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
Crossing paths
Illness is an interesting sculptor. It pulls the cheek bones higher. Hollows out the spaces near the mouth. Brightens the eyes just a tad. And, as the man across the table [...]
Read More →
Posted March 11, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
Reflections of a 50-year-old cop
The hallway is empty. High ceilings stretch off in the distance. Dark woodwork marks the openings for doorways hidden in shadowed recesses. And a low murmur of voices provides background. [...]
Read More →
Posted March 04, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
‘I’m right here’
Just a goodbye is what she asked. Write a farewell. Nothing more. Certainly nothing rude. Nothing getting even. Nothing to settle old scores. Just goodbye to old friends, old enemies, [...]
Read More →
Posted February 25, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
A bird’s eye view of wrestling
You couldn’t make it? Too bad. It was Iowana at its best. From across the state, young men and women came to compete at the Iowa High School State Wrestling [...]
Read More →
Posted February 18, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
Mom and Pop
The corner door pushes open to a soft “dong.” That’s it. No automatic swoosh of doors ushering you into a neon-lit extravaganza of restaurants, dry cleaners, coffee shops, post offices, liquor [...]
Read More →
Posted February 11, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
A jazzy romance indeed
The large bushy mustache has a life of its own. As do the quizzical eyebrows tucked behind rounded eyeglasses. And the tufts of hair wanting to go sideways at the [...]
Read More →
Posted February 04, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
The two faces of Lisa Takes
The smell of clean causes your nose to flare when you enter the room. Sharp. Astringent. With an undertone of earthy. A fine wine. Laughter crosses from over the busy side [...]
Read More →
Posted January 28, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
‘Life is a banquet’
The old Standard Oil Station in Osceola seemed an unlikely location for the boy’s childhood, given what eventually happened. Although I could be wrong about that. In those days, gas [...]
Read More →
Posted January 21, 2015in Joe's Neighborhood
Staying Out of the Mummy Museum
The soup pot sits alone on the far burner at the end of the stove. Out front, the servers and bartenders begin to prep the tables. Their dark-attired figures weave and bend [...]
Read More →
