There’s no sound. No dogs barking, or, men rummaging through garbage dumpsters. Not any cars going up and down the street. Bars let out awhile ago and the drunks all stumbled home; singing songs they’d heard on the jukebox a couple of hours ago. The fan blows silently. An American flag dances in the wind. […]

The sun is a burning star; shining brightly in the sky amongst clouds and shades of blue. It rises in the east and sets in the west. And, in the summer time it doesn’t disappear till late in the evening. People watch the sun go down. They say it’s romantic, or, beautiful to see. This […]

Underneath the paint bucket on the front porch was a rusty old key for use in emergencies. Or, it was to be used when dad left his keys on the counter, or, in a pair of pants. Stumbling home drunk at midnight was how I remembered him. An old soul who was tortured by shots […]

There was no coffee in the cupboard. No Folgers, Maxwell House, Cafe Bustelo. That’s strange, he thought. We always have coffee in the house, he explored more; opening cabinets and looking in the freezer. She never bought anything fancy. Usually what was on sale at the Kroger store. It varied from week to week. One […]

The television was off. So was the radio; it was dark throughout the house. He sat in the living room staring out the window at nothing in particular. Just staring. Counting cars as they drove by silently, to himself. A Dodge went past, then a Ford, and another Ford. One car, a Chevrolet rolled down […]

Electrical wires running over fields and highways. Two lane blacktop taking him to Chicago. He hadn’t been there in years. Left a long time ago when the wife left him. The city had changed. He had changed. It was all about money. Always about money. Not being able to pay rent, bills piling up, always […]

She showed him pictures of her kids; three, one in college and the other two in high school. The ring she wore was the size of Gibraltar; she was always into flash. She stirred her drink and he lit her cigarette. It felt funny to him; talking to her after all these years. He ordered […]

A car door slammed next door and it woke up the old man. He was trying to sleep off a whiskey hangover from the night before. Noises from all over kept him awake. Car doors slamming, people talking, diesels running along the highway, trains groaning through town; all of it made him toss and turn. […]

He heard the car next door. People were talking, the two doors shut, and the engine was turned on. It was loud; needed a muffler. Tires spun on gravel; seemed like they took off rather fast. He went to the front window; they were gone. This was one of many noises that kept him awake […]

He awoke to people talking outside. What are they doing? he thought. What are they plotting? he quietly opened his window. They were in the alley. A group of five. Mexicans. There was a pickup truck parked on the side. The men drank beer and threw the empties in the back of the Ford. They […]