the end

Crowded afternoon at the store, lots of activity and customers.  A guy gets my attention, excited to be buying the massive brass singing bowl we got from Tibet. I am excited for him as well, since it’s several thousand dollars. Not a bad way to end the day. I get cornered behind the counter by a difficult customer, raising hell over… Continue reading the end

dark ride

I am surprised to see a Ferris wheel looming over the downtown district, pale against the darkening sky. As evening descends, we make our way towards the carnival. It is dark everywhere. There are no flickering lights, no music — just the mechanical clack and clank of the rides, the muted murmur of the crowds. (This seems ominous now, awake.… Continue reading dark ride

the shadow on the stairs

Dozing on the couch while the baby has her bath, I dream… …and at the turn of the stairs I look up to see a shadow slowly slide down the wall and onto the floor, like a black puddle of oil. From this pool, a figure slowly rises — an almost cartoonlike shape of a man, pale eyes like saucers peering out… Continue reading the shadow on the stairs

flames, new and old

[This is directly transcribed, without changes or edits, from a journal entry dated June 16th, 1998] ...and, somehow, in my dreams I hear a huge crash — metal and glass — ignoring it, I dream on... ...a flickering light from outside — flash of orange through the blinds — send me up to the window, women’s voices, laughing and talking . .… Continue reading flames, new and old