A common definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again, but expect different results.
I am a combination of this process—but I am also a positive result.

On a hot morning, I began my walk from Seville Street and thought of where I could eat breakfast.
I crossed North Atlantic Boulevard and headed south on the sidewalk towards the strip along the beach in Ft. Lauderdale.
Along the way, I saw Tom walking Continue reading →

Ignorance is like a rash . . .
It spreads. It is often contagious. And it can be hereditary.

I grew up in a middle-income world. We had quiet suburban streets with average, single family homes, modest backyards, one or two car driveways, and the occasional flagpoles on front lawns with the American Flag waving in an otherwise safe environment.

Mail carriers drove their small postal trucks through Continue reading →

Many years ago, I sat in my Aunt Sondra’s house and she introduced me to a big pillow.
She called this pillow, “The Angry pillow,” and said, “You can do whatever you want to that pillow. You can pick it up and slam it down. You can kick it, punch it, choke it and shake it. You can yell at it too. And yelling is good! You can do anything you want to The Angry Pillow because that’s what it’s there for.”

But I was hesitant.
The pillow was multicolored and stood nearly Continue reading →

Spillage

It is too late for me to change anything with words.
So if I am to change, then I can only change by action.
Otherwise, I will remain still,
and everything around me will stay the same
or unchallenged.

By definition, freedom is the exemption from outside control.
However, my freedom is limited so long as I hold myself captive. Continue reading →

Sunday, Labor Day Weekend 8/31/14

It is a quiet day to end the summer.
There is no sun and gray clouds blanket the sky.
There has been no rain yet,
but the smell in the air says that rain is on its way.

Though not officially,
tomorrow is the commercial end of the season.
After this weekend, the beaches will empty.
The waves will continue,
but without the bodies lining the shoreline,
the sound of waves crashing Continue reading →

Like any morning, I was up earlier than anyone else in my home. I paid my respects to the coffee gods, and after pressing the magical blue button on the coffee machine, I poured myself a cup, and then I made my way into the room I refer to as my section of the world.
I never change this room much. I keep it as is, and when the sun comes up, I twist the clear plastic rod to crack open the blinds and let the sunlight in.
This is part of my daily process; this how I prepare myself for the day and this is where I sort out the thoughts that clog inside my head.
I have a similar process during the sunset, and whenever possible, I like to Continue reading →

The other morning I woke and the sun was the brightest I had ever seen. Its yellow beams touched down, glistening through the trees and onto my street, which was still wet from the morning’s dew.
I stepped onto my front porch and the wind was perfectly still, which I interpreted to mean that I should be still, at least for the moment.

I live on a quiet street near the edge of my town. I say this town is mine, not only because Continue reading →

I stared through the bars and looked up at the ceiling in the corridor.
“You should have never turned around,” I thought to myself.
“You should have left when you had the chance…”

As the door closed after my escorted walk down a foul smelling hallway, with frosted windows at the ceiling height to the wall to my left, and caged cells to my right, I heard the loud banging of hardened steel crashing into steel.
Then I heard the sound of the guard’s footsteps as he walked away.
I could hear the complaints of an old drunk, unsure of why he was locked in a holding cell, and occasionally shouting, “And where the hell are my Goddamned shoes?”
The echo from the drunk’s vomiting sound, retching, as if his insides were spewing from his mouth, painfully rang down the line of caged men. And each time the drunk would heave, someone in one of the other cells would scream, “Shut up, old man! I’m trying to sleep.”

Everything about this place was awful; the smell was Continue reading →

Truth:

I have three different types of insecurity. First is physical, second is emotional, and the third is financial. Each has its own crippling effect, and each concern will often branch into another.
Insecurity can be a cancer, but in some cases, success in one Continue reading →

Purity:

We were young not too long ago
and today’s full grown trees were half the size of now…

I have always been amazed by the resilience of youth.
I am amazed by the bravery
and I admire the ambitions
that somehow shed with age. Continue reading →