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Lessons in Love

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  It was love at first sight. The kind you only hear about from sappy, overly-happy friends who have the quintessential perfect relationship. I never believed in such rosy and putrid romantic portraits of the way most think we must live when we hit our mid-20s. Yet here I was and she, as well. The heart feels, then demands and our unconscious self obliges. How was I to know it wouldn't be enough? How was I know it wouldn't make a difference? All good things must come to an end, I suppose. In love, our heart can lead us on the right path for all the wrong reasons. I learned the hard way that we must listen to our gut's instinct instead. It takes a much bigger man than I am  to listen to such advice.

The Love Rhyme

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I was awakened by the love she had taken a young man's joy, blissful and sublime. Yet, I had the feeling that she had been cheating and ultimately wasting my time.

When will she sing to me?

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As the morning sun beat down upon the ground that summer morning, Sally looked out across the grassy yard, set her gaze upon the leafy and colorful bush in front of her and affectionately admired the fluttering wings of the myriad “fairies” that hovered in the air. “I can hear them speak to me.” Sally always had a way of speaking to those with whom she felt a close psychological connection.  It was there since day one, a sort of innate quality that was provided to her through the grace of her creator and the wisdom and randomness of physiology. Today was no different than other days, in that there was always something – a bird, a song, a moment, a friend or a memory – that spoke to her in ways that no one else could possibly contemplate.  Sally, though, had a gift.  She was sweet, kindhearted, precocious, extroverted and curious about the natural world all around her.  She was extremely childlike even beyond what a normal young child would routinely seem to be. “I’ve...

The Stream's Cloak

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A retreat from summer's close morning air, the new day brings a vivid announcement by nature that autumn is peeking its head just above this forenoon horizon. I observe the meandering streams that wind their way through these bayside waterways. Their countenance shrouded in a silken white cloak, like ghosts hovering precipitously over the warm, placid waters. The air is calm, the trees and leaves, or what remains of them, are still as a corpse, allowing this haunting to linger above. This is the time of year where these moments permeate our thoughts of summer's obstinate refusal to release its choking grip without a struggle. In time, the waters will cool and the cloak will lift, if only just temporarily.  For now, though, what do the wading ducks and geese, migrating birds and fish narrowly below the surface make of this spectral phenomenon? Are they scared? Nonplussed? Or just happily oblivious? I believe they are some how comforted in the knowledge that another season of lif...

A Different Time

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I was born in the wrong era and it becomes obvious as my walk devolves into feelings of frustration, disgust, misery and mystery. The streets are littered with the discards of a wasteful and all-consuming civilization without conscience or care for community. Animals meticulously clean themselves while our slovenly domesticated inhabitants bask in filth. I walk past an adjacent building proudly displaying its date of birth, 1890, on its stone façade. My thoughts wander in admiration. The changes this place has "witnessed" over the past 132 years is multitudinous. Oh, to be a sprinkle of dust blowing effortlessly down a dirt road; a bird perched high in one of the many long-forgotten trees; a pedestrian sitting on his porch listening to the gallop of horse hooves and the conversation of the moment. Men and women remained in touch with nature’s calls and sounds. Oh, the glory of blissful silence; of a time devoid of automobiles, coarse human vulgarities and bitter intercourse. ...

Lake Walk

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Standing by the lake’s narrow, grassy shoreline the winds push the rippling waves toward me, as if, sending a lonely child home to its loved ones open arms. The tide stops at my feet, content, then disburses to the left and right, for the waters pay no mind to impediments in its way. I glimpse a solitary turtle peek its head above the water’s surface. It takes a brief breath and scans its surroundings before submerging itself and swimming on. It’s amazing how much swifter the turtle moves while under water, safe from dangerous human beings and our obnoxious mechanical inventions, than on all fours. Pine and oak, grasses and plants flutter in the breeze. The warm sun overhead glistens and sparkles in the wake. I spot three ducks drifting by. Dunking their beaks into the depths in search of a quick meal, they float effortlessly over the inbound waves, seemingly undisturbed by the crazed dashing and splashing of gas-guzzling wave runners interrupting nature’s solitude and sublimity. The p...

I Am...

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I am a man. I am an only child to a mother I cherish, a step father I will forever be conflicted over and a father I    never knew, and never cared to. I am a father myself. I am a husband to the only woman I ever knew I wanted to marry the moment I laid eyes on her. I am lazy at times. I am not a "know-it-all," contrary to what some may believe. I am sporadically ambitious. I am confident in myself, yet full of personal doubts. I am happy being alone, but miss my family when thus. I am a really good writer and I know it. I am always looking to improve and learn something new. I am not proud of certain parts of my past. I am still seeking my one do-over in life. I am a fool for ruining my dream thanks to heaping doses of indolence, immaturity and obstinacy. I am happy that I achieved this dream, though. I am still annoyed that I wasted those six and a half years between 1991-1997. I am a dog person and love all of my pups. I am not getting any younger. I am happy and content ...