Posted August 27, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
The blank white paper sitting on the laminate desk glares back unhopefully. Of course, the early morning fluorescent light doesn’t help, nor does the scratching sound of other pens. Your classmates [...]
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Posted August 20, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
Maybe buildings aren’t just brick and mortar and wood and stone and paint and tile. Perhaps they absorb all the life that scuffs their floors, and gives voice off their [...]
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Posted August 13, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
“Don’t stare,” our mothers instructed, as they pulled one arm away from whatever caught our fancy. This parental technique, always hopeful and always coming from a good place, was always [...]
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Posted August 06, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
Quiet is the only sound to be heard in this old neighborhood. Until a distant bird starts to chirp. Softly. Ah, and there’s the ever-present squawk of a seagull. Demanding [...]
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Posted July 30, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
Every four years she resurfaces, magically it seems. Not a sighting for months and months, then “bang,” there she is on our TV screens, surprising us with her raw power, [...]
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Posted July 23, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
Look for Iowa farmers before planting. You’ll see their pickups parked at an angle in the entrance to their fields, like they didn’t have enough time to park straight with [...]
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Posted July 16, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
THE STYLIST Leaning in over the chair, his right arm held up and out in classic ballroom dance form — elbow high, left hand centered, body balanced — he cuts [...]
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Posted July 09, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
The Girl holds herself with regal deportment. Shoulders down, back straight, head turned, ready to receive her fans. She comes home after being gone from Holland for too long. Japan, [...]
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Posted July 02, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
The high gloss on the wood shines as the rag wipes the first spill of beer to the side. The movement of the rag continues over the wood, back and [...]
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Posted June 25, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
The witch sits across from me at the table, smiling. No pointed hat. No flying broom. Not a single cackle is recorded during our long conversation. She is smart, open, [...]
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