Something from the ‘Daddy Diaries’

Last night, I tucked my ten year-old daughter in bed. We talked about school and the things she learns in class. She told me about a girl in another classroom.
She said, “Seriously Daddy….the girl lies all the time.”
She asked, “Why does she do that?”

Then she curled under the blankets and tucked Buster, her stuffed bulldog, beneath her chin. She snuggled Continue reading

insomnia poetry

In time,
the autumn leaf will crumble into the earth

creating a new tomorrow,
which may take centuries, and all that surrounds us
will change into different versions of life.

In time,
the landscapes will change
(and so will you)
like an old piece of driftwood that floated across the ocean….
It was part of something, once
but now,
its story lays faded and washed upon the shore
say, like somewhere on the beaches of Montauk Point Continue reading

just prose: four things I know

There are certain things I know as fact. And I guess I’ve always known them, but sometimes emotions get in the way and I lose my focus.
In order to keep my sanity, I needed to learn not to give it away —
I need to remember the obvious, which in some cases, is not always so obvious.
That’s why I write things down…

First:
My redemption has nothing to do with your response.
The fact that I rebuild may be the result of someone, or something else, but in the end…
It is on me.
The way I eat, think, and breathe is not and should not be hinged upon anyone else
…and neither should my redemption.

I am my own separate entity in this world, and while I connect with other people, I will remain disconnected if I forget that I am the square root to my own equation.

Continue reading

what real men do

The other day an old man told me, “Kid, I never give in to the rah-rah of St. Patrick’s day.”
Said, “It’s amateur night,” and then he went on to explain, “Real drunks don’t need a holiday to drink, fight, and destroy their lives.”
Said, “We do that on a daily basis.”
Said, “March 17th doesn’t mean anything to me.”

When I mentioned about him being Irish, he laughed.
Told me, “I’m Irish everyday….I don’t need to put on a green shirt to remind me of that!”
He said, Continue reading

about the lost kids…

They were young, rebellious, and eager to taste the electric side of life. They were anxious to dive into the colorful, ultra-violet lights, and laugh their way into the psychedelic hours of an early following morning. It was just before evening and the sunset changed the summer sky into different shades of orange and purple.
The green grass behind the playground of the elementary school was Continue reading

when you get older

It was not by choice, but I went to Hebrew School when I was a kid. I went to Saturday school too, but most of my friends went to Sunday school and Communion classes. I don’t remember much—other than I never did well, and I never did any of the homework assignments—I just remember not wanting to be there and thinking about my friends that were somewhere else, doing something different, and probably having a better time than me.

As it was, I had to sit through regular Continue reading