Date Night Geoff O’Keeffe For the parents, with thanks to David S. We arranged a casual dinner out, on a Thursday night, a luxury reserved for empty nesters and the childless, or the impotent, at our friend James’ local bistro. When you say “bistro” it implies some level of “no sweat shirt” sophistication, or … [read more]
Writing
New Poems by Barbara Jackson
My dear friend Barbara and I grew up in southeastern Washington State, in the golden years of American economic growth following the Second World War, when electric garage door openers and the convenience of TV dinners were all the rage. Major General Leslie Groves and his team calculated that the Oak Ridge site near … [read more]
From One To None
From One To None Geoff O’Keeffe For years, I have counted. I thrived because I pretended to believe the proper order of things was one, two, three, four, five. I succeeded because I feigned an affinity for fifteen, because it was more than ten. I earned praise because I could combine seven with twenty-two and … [read more]
Happy Hour
Happy Hour A Truncated Chronology -Geoff O’Keeffe To Nikki, for her courage. One day in late summer, 1968, Jim’s dad was no longer at home. And Jim understood this was to be permanent. Not that he had been there much in the prior fifteen years. Maybe he was there in the late fifties and early … [read more]
Our Man-Child: A Love Letter
Dear readers, I puzzled over whether or not to publish this, but decided to go ahead. It’s very personal, but was originally a letter to twenty-six friends, most of whom are reading this now. A dear friend of ours woke up in an ambulance last weekend, and soon was informed he has a tumor in … [read more]
Off Our Rockers
Off Our Rockers -Geoff O’Keeffe In 1977, Paul Barrere penned “Old Folks Boogie” for his band, Little Feat, included in their classic Times Loves A Hero. Apart from the deeply funky and satisfying groove, the lyrics were clever and funny, and clearly about someone else other than me and my baby boom contemporaries: “Off our … [read more]
