The Kid and the Cowboy

For my birthday one year, my mom gave me all of her writings from 1960 to what was present day. In 1973, my dad had undergone open heart surgery, and they had been told he maybe had 8 years to live. Having trouble processing what was their new reality, she was assigned to write a…

My Bravest Moment

Yesterday, I delivered the eulogy at my sweet mama’s memorial service. It was not nearly as hard as I had imagined and certainly won’t compare to the emptiness I will feel in the days to come. But for today, I can say that I am proud of myself that I tried to give my mother a proper good-bye. After…

unpublished love 5

trastevere, il primo agosto reveal to me what i left behind 19 years ago presented with choices i did my best to remain intact a battle insignificant to most gave to me courage bravery gratitude reaching into the coffers i request a large withdrawal that depletes my accounts as i beg for mercy and ask…

unpublished love 3

the rose petals have fallen, sunken, dropped italian frescoes crumble into piles of expensive dust  where cars whizz by without a care onto ancient roads of traveled souls, where gold seeps into the aqueducts  where the decadence of Rome poisons the people into believing that gratitude is not a blessing to be revered  when discoveries…

unpublished love 2

that first night I slept and you couldn’t that is where the separation started the faint blue ember of the curtains  showing the street lights below comforted me in a sad sort of way Rome again and I could not protect her from the grips even though she lay beside me the one I loved…

unpublished love

unpublished love comes to me like a cloudy vision that sounds like distant church bells* that wake me from sleep unpublished love is why i toss and turn because it whispers my name and then vanishes unpublished love lights the night sky with the brightest stars to remind us unpublished love waits for me at…