All Posts

  • Writing “The Dis”

    Writing “The Dis”

    By the time we are thirty years old, we know it’s true: all our abilities are temporary. Our physical and cognitive skills decline, at an ever-increasing pace, as if with a will of their own.

  • Resurrection

    Resurrection

    Dear Reader, I have missed you. The twin sisters of winter, Cold and Darkness, sneaked up on me last December with their claws. Now I find myself emerging, like a crocus from the ground, renewed with hope, a participant in the rising fragrance of spring.

  • Turnabout and the Common Cold

    Turnabout and the Common Cold

    Turnabout is fair play. That’s what one of my physician mentors, Ken O’Neill, told me. In essence, sharp, witty replies are acceptable, even when they flash some teeth.

  • Day 90 on the Gravanok

    Day 90 on the Gravanok

    It’s been three months today since we set sail with Captain TAT. The boys-a are becoming men-ya. There have been no fistfights in over a week, and we’ve had no deaths, despite the two who went overboard in shark-filled waters.

  • Rescue is Coming for Those Who Suffer with Chronic Pain

    Rescue is Coming for Those Who Suffer with Chronic Pain

    To the young woman, utterly lost and sore-afraid, imprisoned in the Underground, I say, “Hold on!” To the old man, desperate with pain and blinded by the darkness, I say, “I am coming.” Listen for my voice and follow me. I am heading out of this wicked place in due time.

  • No Ifs, Ands, or Butts

    No Ifs, Ands, or Butts

    There’s a part of the human anatomy, much maligned, ever since Forrest Gump got shot in the hind quarters, which he referred to plainly as his “but-tocks.”