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ALBANY, THURSDAY NIGHT
It is a cheap moteljust off the highway,across from the mallnow almost empty of cars,a room not much biggerthan a bed, a desk anda small nightstand.The diet cola is sweatingdespite the breezeof the air conditioner,the television flickers.I have left a wake up callhoping I arise beforethe jangle of the phoneknowing I will not.Corso lies on…
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ALBLANY THURSDAY NIGHT
It is a cheap moteljust off the highway,across from the mallnow almost empty of cars,a room not much biggerthan a bed, a desk anda small nightstand.The diet cola is sweatingdespite the breezeof the air conditioner,the television flickers.I have left a wake up callhoping I arise beforethe jangle of the phone,knowing I will not.Corso lies on…
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TOTTERING
The world did not collapse today,although it tottered on the edge againas it does most days in recent memory.As a child we expected the world might endunless we hid under our deskswhen the alarms went off, so littledid we know about nuclear weaponsand what could be more uselessthan a desk at or near ground zero.We…
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OLD HOTEL, NARA
Stepping into the hotel, it was like being dropped into a truly alien world. Nothing shiny, no excess of glass and marble. A simple dark wooden reception desk, a clerk in black with a white vest. A bow upon approaching. Your room is simple, no internet, a single light on a small desk. A tatami…
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THE DOTTED LINE
Now that I have discoveredmy Catholic and Protestant ancestorsI know it is time to considerwhat hell must be like. I know it is not fire and brimstone,that went the way of old lorewhen the Impressionists came along. So I imagine Hell must bevery much like getting caughtlooking at the new carsin the showroom while you…
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WHEN WE STOPPED
It was probably that momentjust after we sat downat our new, huge or sothey seemed, desksand the large personin the front of the roomsmiled at us and said“I will teach you allthat you need to learnthis year so pay attention.” Perhaps we stoppedthinking the year beforeduring kindergarten,but I do think the firstday of first gradetruly…
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READY, FIRE, AIM
He should have knownthat the day was doomedfrom the moment he woketo see his alarm clock in pieceson the floor by his bed, the catgrinning at him from the placewhere the clock had always sat. Finally arriving at the office,he was no sooner at his deskwhen the fire alarm bell rang.Within moments of reenteringafter the…
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PENNED IN
He stares at the collectionof pens crammed tightly intoa coffee mug whose handlehad long since broken away. He knows some are dead,awaiting a proper burial,following a brief memorialservice paying homageto their illustrious past. He is certain that oneor more is secretly harboringthe poem or story that hehas been meaning to write,the one that the journalon…
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MANUAL LABOR
(Instructions for Mourning a Marriage) It didn’t come with an instruction manual,no simple, poorly translated diagramstelling me to “be inserting Tab Ainto the Slot B,” none anywhere to be found.But I was young, and didn’t worry,despite entreaties to get help firstbefore beginning the intricate task of assembly.I laid out all of the parts carefullyuntil it…
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an old writer and his words 