it was summer--mid 1990-something
and i was driving my rattletrap
'76 trans-am to work
it was nearing midnight
i worked the graveyard shift
at the textile mill
across the river
as i approached the gas station
at the bottom of the hill
a thick 30-something year old woman
staggered out into the street
directly in front of me
she looked unusually pale
for a woman of the south
in the middle of summer
she squinted at my headlights
and raised her arms
i stopped
shit; now what; i thought
she walked around to the
passenger door
and without saying a word
she brazenly opened the door
and landed her ass hard
into my passenger seat
"take me to such and such place"
she demanded; i don't recall where
she wanted to go
"i can't" i complained
"i am on my way to work"
she was obviously drunk
though she didn't have a bottle
or carry a pocketbook
"well drop me off at the end of
washington street" she snapped
sounding flustered by my defiance
"alright" i reluctantly complied
i had to drive down
washington street anyway
i did not have time to argue
or make a scene as my trans-am
was blocking the street
with this drunken stranger
in the passenger seat
as i turned left on to washington street
the passenger door flew open
i looked over and her eyes were
as big as saucers as she gasped and
leaned into me; away from the gaping hole
left by door swinging open
i stopped the car
"you have to slam that door" i explained
the hinges were worn out and the
long heavy door dragged the frame
she slammed the door shut; the car shook
satisfied that the door was properly latched
i continued to make the journey
down washington street
about half way down washington street
she smiled a big toothy grin
and trumpeted loudly in a drunken slur
"i'm going to get me one!"
after an awkward delay i said
"alright"
i didn't know what to say
but i thought about someone
risking their luck
on my way to work
at the end of washington street
i stopped the car; she climbed out
and slammed the door--good girl
i watched as she walked across the street
she walked with an air of confidence
straight into the yard of a
of a darkened old mill house
i steered my car back onto the street
and i made my way across the river
and up the hill to the mill parking lot
--just in time for work
and as i punched the time clock
i pondered her story
and wished her well
Posted: May 22, 2026, 1:29 am
the moon waxes and wanes
as i wait and ponder
what tomorrow holds for me
rags and riches
or riches and rags
it does not matter
tomorrow i will see
tomorrow is the promise
tomorrow is the key
tomorrow will be the day
the sun shines back on me
each morning i awake
and i look to the sea
only to find no ship
in the harbor
waiting for me
so, anxiously
i dwell
upon another morrow
as i wait
for the moon
to climb
out of the sea
Posted: May 21, 2026, 1:21 am
it is 2 a.m. and my world is silent
perhaps too silent for my sanity
i sit alone--shuttered from the outside
i have my thoughts and a cold beer
the cat is sleeping atop the printer
but i hardly recognize her presence
after midnight she becomes a fixture
before me sits an old-ass laptop
and by old i mean that it is old enough
to drink beer right along with me
the laptop is too outdated for the internet
and that suits my purpose just fine
i do not want anything distracting me
as the night wore on i typed about happenings
i typed about things i witnessed, heard, and felt
i wrote at length about subjects that are dear to me
life, love, regrets, darkest desires, and whatnots
the result is an ongoing plain-text record my existence
journalistic proof of my consciousness--a digital codex
where i convey my dreams of an elysian future--to the future
with the blind assumption that somehow, someway
this information might benefit me along the way
as i filled the twelve-inch screen with words
i heard the cat stir over on the printer
i glanced over and she raised her head
she stared straight through me with her piercing eyes
i leered back at her for a long moment before she
yawned and curled back down into her sleeping position
my thoughts shifted towards the cat and her sleep rituals
and that got me to thinking about my own ritualistic habits
i took a long hit off my beer before typing out this new thought
in the future--if i ever get around to reading these pages
that i sit here and type--every single night
what will i see?
will i be enthralled by this collection of thoughts and memories
from the times i spent alone with myself? and at some point
will i finally be able to realize my life goals by simply
looking at the past?
or--will this night be remembered as just another night
that i shamelessly pissed away in the midst of silence?
Posted: May 16, 2026, 2:00 am
once a tool for honest feedback
to learn what the customer desires
the customer survey has become
a complete waste of time and resource
the savvy company now assumes
that the customer is never right
customer desires reflect variety
but variety deflects the bottom line
in order to procure more desirable results
savvy companies skew their questionnaires
i read the lines and found no option
to express personal concerns of mine
and the given assumptions do not apply
so i will not be completing your pretend survey
dear savvy company
you think your ways are clever
but you seem to forget
i can always keep my money
or spend it somewhere else
Posted: May 15, 2026, 1:35 am
o' now i must admit
i longed for it
i longed for the dirt
i wanted to wallow in it
i wanted to feel it and smell it
i wanted to relish and crow
i wanted the dirt to be me
in my rumination, i lied
these stains look good on me
these stains feel great
these stains will set me free
you'll see
o' god how i needed that dirt
so i laid bare my thirst
and indulged the dirt
now i am as dirty as dirt can be
but i shall never be free
because now, nobody can cleanse me
not even me
Posted: May 14, 2026, 1:26 am