There is a part of my drive into Manhattan that comes when I reach the high slope on the expressway as I arrive at Long Island City. This is when I have a total view of the New York City skyline, and for that moment, I am reminded of when I was young. I am reminded of the feelings I had, which pulsed through my body.

I remember the first time I drove over the 59^th Street Bridge by myself.  I was on my way in to meet a girl. There was no one else in the car but me. There were no wild friends of mine, drinking in the back seat, thanking me for being the “Sober guy,” and grateful that I was always willing to Continue reading →

Poem 1

We were young not too long ago
and the full grown trees were half their size.
I have always been amazed by the resilience of youth.
I am amazed by the bravery and I envy the ambitions,
which somehow shed when it comes to the later ages.

I think of little kids swinging on swing-sets
and how they try to kick the moon.
They try so hard because no one told them
this is not possible
Their ability is real and their versions of reality
are untouched . . . . or pure

Little girls play Continue reading →

And you wonder  . . .
You wonder who will be there when it all goes down.
When everything falls apart, you wonder who
will be there to help pick up the fallen pieces.
You wonder who will help fix the shattered pieces
of your broken heart—or who will show up
without so much as a hint or even a phone call
because this is what real friends do . . .

The people I have met, whether they are good or bad,
or whether our interaction is long-lasting or short-lived 
have come into my life for a reason.
Every memorable conversation Continue reading →

Not everyone will respect or appreciate our decision to change or evolve. But then again, the changes we make and the decisions we choose belong to us and to no one else.
At the end of the day, the only reflection we see in the mirror is the only reflection that matters. And in my case, that reflection is mine . . .

A long time ago, I made a decision to live my life a certain way. I did this in order to maintain a sober lifestyle. Otherwise, I think I would have fallen over the edge at a very young age. And had I not made this decision, I think my name would be nothing more than something whispered in an occasional memory or Continue reading →

Outside, the line stretched down the street. Everyone on line was waiting to get in and everyone on line was wondering if they would make it in before the club would close.
As for me, I was still very new to the New York City club scene.  The bars and clubs on Long Island were nothing like the ones in the city. There were too many inhibitions and too many people to impress. There was too many people screaming to break free, but yet, each was too afraid to step from their own comfort zone. The city, however, was altogether different.

I knew this night would be different when I approached Continue reading →

I think I was 15 years-old . . .
This was not going to be my first time, but it was going to be my first time with a girl I never met before. I was introduced to a girl from the next town over. I liked the idea that she knew nothing about me. This way, she might not judge me. I liked that we did not know the same people and she never heard any of the local rumors about me.
She knew nothing of my background and I knew nothing about hers. I met her through a phone conversation, but I had never seen this girl in the flesh. We began speaking by accident. At first, I thought she was a girl I met in a mall—but she wasn’t.  As it turned out, the girl I met gave me the wrong phone number. As a joke, she gave me the phone number of her friend instead of her own. (We’ll call her friend Jessica for now)

Jessica was a year older than I was. She came from a wealthy family and Continue reading →

I left my house around noon. I had no plans or intentions of meeting up with anyone. I had no plans of going anywhere—at least, not anywhere important. I did not feel the need to meet up with anyone else. I just wanted to be outside.
I had no destination in mind or expectation of anything special.
I walked along Glenn Curtis Boulevard, passed the empty field beside the baseball fields, and passed the parking lots to the glass office buildings, which, other than the hospital, the three glass office buildings were the only tall buildings in my hometown of East Meadow

I walked through Continue reading →

I have worked as a building engineer and in the building trades for more than 16 years. Throughout my time, from the beginning until now; it is clear to me that there are different types of people in his world, each with their own background, and each with their own stories.
Like most, I began my journey as an apprentice, or “Helper,” as they call it. I started in my late 20’s and since I was younger than everyone else in the crew, I was called, “The kid.”

I was never called by my name—just, “Kid.”
“Hey kid, bring me that pipe wrench.”
“Hey kid, get this,” and “Hey kid, get that.”
And, “Come on, kid. Move your ass!”

In my early days as an apprentice, I swept and Continue reading →

The snowfall began early this morning, but the real storm has yet to begin. As I write to you, the hour of daylight has passed, the street is empty, and everything is covered with snow.
The lights from windows inside the neighboring homes all shine in a way that only comes during wintery moments. They shine through window curtains with a soft, yellowish glow, which describes an inside warmth to oppose the outside temperature.
The streetlamps stand in place and light the street with a halo around the head of its glowing body. The snow is falling heavy and coming down in an angle, but overall, the worst is yet to come.

The weatherman says to prepare for Continue reading →

The songs I love most are songs that were written long ago. They have history to me. They connect me to different periods of my life and give depth to the times which I keep in the archives of my memory.
I remember a winter day from my youth. It was cold and rainy. I decided to take a walk to the record store because there was nothing else to do. There was no one else around—and even if there were—no one was interested in walking in the rain.

I was young and my hair was somewhere between boyish and bowl-cut to becoming decidedly long. This was not an easy thing for my parents. They did not like long hair. Most of all, they did not like long hair on me. They did not like the way long hair looked. They said the did not like what it represented . . . but I did.
I was Continue reading →