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 walls, and pushes at their revolving doors. Sort of like that crumpled shirt on the bedroom floor that smells of
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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 a disaster since our remaining limbs and extended necks then swiveled in the other direction, away from our fast-walking, arm-yanking
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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 attention. Irritating. No different than that scolding squirrel in your own backyard. Tossing the husk of an acorn at your
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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, her vertical jump, her quick reflexes. Suddenly we are rooting and cheering as if she’d never left. Our long lost
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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 all the traffic in the ditch. Driver’s doors left wide open in the supposed rush. And a short distance away,
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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 hair. Elegant, poised, and the center of his world. No orchestra, just the sound of the scissors. Snip, snip, snip,
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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, New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco and Italy. She was sorely missed. The crowds on this Friday in The Hague
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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 forth, polishing, as the young bartender patiently waits. He is almost indolent at this early stage of the evening. Why
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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, answers each question carefully, and is aware of “being made a fool” by others. She does suggest that I don’t
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Posted June 18, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
Yes, dear reader, you have now turned to that part of the newspaper where we traditionally focus on some amazing young professional in the Des Moines area as an inspiration for those of us who might be slacking just a bit and need to shape up. These are always great
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