Twenty Rules of the Universe That I’ve Discovered So Far: A Work in Progress 1. Anything you work at and practice, whether a valuable skill or a bad habit, you will become increasingly adept at. Anything. Be careful what you do more than once. 2. When you find someone who really loves you, it’s a … [read more]
Deportees
Deportees I. Jack looked down at his watch. “Shit, only ten-thirty. Six hours to go,” he thought. It was over a hundred degrees already. There wasn’t a cloud in the broad, blue, desert sky. Translucent waves of heat rose from the parched brown hills, the languid river and the barren scablands appear as if seen … [read more]
Sleepless in Tianjin
Note: Zhàozhōu Cōngshĕn (Japanese: Jōshū Jūshin, 778 to 897) was a Chan, or Zen master best known for the classic koan, “Mu”: A monk asked Zhàozhōu , “Has a dog Buddha-nature or not?”. Zhàozhōu answered, “Mu!”, roughly translated as “no” or “not”. For hundreds of years, students have wrestled with this “Mu!” The author plans … [read more]
Dog Killer
Dog Killer It began like a baby crying, like many crying babies and like dogs barking. He awoke and sat up, suddenly aware of his heartbeat and the sounds outside. The room was cool and gray. At 6:00 a.m., the summer sun had topped the ridge and the rocky desert mountains lay bleached and baked. … [read more]
Dry
Dry For Edward Michael McDonnell At seven thousand feet life dries and cracks, like old lumber behind the shed, mountain grasses brown and flattened, tinder crisp, sand drifting in the wind, down our dirt road, like lines in Dad’s face at eighty-seven. Dry is how I like it. Just enough air and moisture for a … [read more]