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budgrossmann.com
Fine photography, writings, & other worthwhile items.

Archives
of Bud Grossmann’s
Words of the Week

© 2012 by Bud Grossmann.
All Rights Reserved.


Clarke Avenue (Blue), 1969
  Clarke Avenue (Blue), 1969
© 1969 by Bud Grossmann

If a piece catches your interest, CLICK ON ITS TITLE.


May 20, 2012
Give Us This Rye, Our Daily Bread
Fiction. A baker tests the adage “Haste Makes Waste.”
... I needed to ... persuade the loaf to release its grip on the pan ...


May 13, 2012
I Was Once a Perfect Child
Epigram.
... I suggest we pause ...


May 6, 2012
One Hundred & Forty Characters
Poem.
... i know a man who does not text ...


April 29, 2012
Unmentionables
Fiction. A man finds a lost item and does not report it.
... I don't know what I did with the underwear....


April 22, 2012
A Robin Will Build
Gramma Letter. A man reminisces about an old car and its inhabitants.
...As we approached the Ford, a robin flew from one of the headlights....


April 15, 2012
Unthinkable
Epigram.
... I say today ...


April 8, 2012
Three Days
Aphorism.
... [no blurb]...


April 1, 2012
A Sweet Release
Fiction. At nearly midnight on a Tuesday in the spring, a woman in her thirties sends a message to an older man.
... I love the rhythm. I find it mesmerizing ...


March 25, 2012
Missing the Boat
Fiction. A man rolls up his sleeves in a dairy barn.
... He got good and drunk the night before ...


March 18, 2012
Trouble in Paradise
Gramma Letter. One thing goes wrong, and then another.
... Amy held out her left hand ... and said, “But look. No ring. ...”


March 11, 2012
Power of the Flower Press
Fiction. Abandoning brevity, a man remarks upon a book, a movie, and a political vendetta.
... “Blurb,” I say! Oh, isn't English wonderful! ...


March 4, 2012
Spider Man
Gramma Letter. A dad confronts an intruder.
... A sugar cane spider, brown-bodied and bristle-legged and wide as the palm of a person’s hand, was on the wall beside Elizabeth’s pillow. ...


February 26, 2012
Persuading My Brother
Epigram. A man grumbles about a sibling.
Persuading my brother / ... is not easy ...


February 19, 2012
Negative Commentary
Movie Review. In ninety-nine words, a photographer philosophizes upon a film philosophizing upon photography.
... Kind of beautiful ... but ...


February 12, 2012
A Thirst Incompletely Satisfied
Fiction. A man comments appreciatively on a half-minute sales pitch.
... I ... tried to catch ... the penultimate shot ...


February 5, 2012
One More Time Around
Gramma Letter. A man long married describes a wedding.
... my wife ... would be officiating at a small wedding at our own residence ... .


January 29, 2012
High Finance
Fiction. A woman visits an elderly man and gives him a relatively costly gift.
... She presented him with a hug, a six-pack of Stella Artois, and a check for four hundred dollars....


January 22, 2012
Boys at Play
Gramma Letter. Ocean fishing presents unexpected hazards.
... The fish hit the deck in such a frenzy that the hook flew from its mouth, took one bounce, and in an instant did its damage....


January 15, 2012
Posing for Mary Cassatt
Fiction. A man causes women’s faces to brighten.
... I carried Rose Anne in my arms ...


January 8, 2012
Visitors Stopping By
Fiction. A man discovers an exception to the rule of the one-tract mind.
Booted, stockinged, and long-skirted, woolen-hatted, woolen-coated, neck-scarfed and wide-eyed, she offered to discuss the Bible at my door.


January 1, 2012
Offering an Opinion
Fiction. A sometime church-goer hears and ignores a plaintive cry.
Anything else? Ya want me to jump up and down on your chest ... ?



December 25, 2011
Secret Santa
Fiction. A man receives a Christmas gift and has difficulty figuring it out.
Some names in this religious allegory have been changed.


December 18, 2011
A Visit to Santa
Cartoon.
Heard any good Polish jokes lately?


December 11, 2011
’Tis the Season
Theological Commentary. A writer sits in judgment of an e-mail forwarder who sits in judgment.
Do you know her size? She can’t have much of a chest, I wouldn’t suppose ...


December 4, 2011
Back-Fence Discussions
Gramma Letter. Neighbors discuss various sorts of killing.
... “Cannot!” Mr. Rojas said again, chuckling at my naiveté....


November 27, 2011
An Unexamined Thought
Fiction. An online author clarifies the meaning of his previous week’s posting.
... I will try to Demosthenate how hard it is to philosophize with marbles in my mouth....


November 20, 2011
A Thanksgiving Meditation
Epigram.
... life is not worth ...


November 13, 2011
Did You Call Me?
Fiction. A phone call leaves something to the imagination.
You may recognize that shriek ...


November 6, 2011
Not Marking a Book of Poems
Poem. A woman writes in a hardback book and gives it to a man who does not.
... I was tempted to / take a pencil and put a / star beside the title....


October 30, 2011
Caterwauling
Fiction. A famous author steals the words of a prosaic personals poster who denies she ever said what he stole.
... there must be only one woman who references being a cat lady....


October 23, 2011
Shirttail Relative
Fiction. A casually dressed man encounters a counter clerk.
... The volume, the body language, little things, ambiguous. ...


October 16, 2011
This I Have Observed
Epigram.
Time...


October 9, 2011
Identity Crisis
Cartoon. Two college men discuss romance.
... It started off great—bells and fireworks and all that....


October 2, 2011
Whatever
Epigram.
... a man doesn't / even care ...



September 25, 2011
A Story With Nudity & Graphic Depictions of Violence
Gramma Letter. A home handyman performs a repair outside of normal working hours.
...wearing nothing but a clear plastic shower cap, (she) woke me from sleep...


September 18, 2011
Shortest Distance Between Two Points
Fiction. A lesson in elementary mathematics sends a man out along several tangents.
...I attended the old man’s visitation and spoke privately with the girl whose letters I hold....


September 11, 2011
Wake-Up Calls
Family History. A man reports his activities on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
... Perhaps America had gone to war. (A preposterous possibility!)...


September 4, 2011
In Pursuit of a Paycheck
Gramma Letter. A man shamelessly recalls some of the things he has done for money.
... Round and round I went, in ever-shrinking circles on the park-like expanses surrounding the institution’s boxy, brick buildings....


August 28, 2011
A Request for Assistance
Fiction. A man suggests a bar exam or confirmation class discussion topic.
... i,m so sick of men who abuse women....


August 21, 2011
A Seemingly Senseless Shooting in a Bar
Art Commentary. A photographer defends a photo that failed to please one of his fans.
... I’ve “zoomed in” on ... a man with a smirk that some might consider kissable ...


August 14, 2011
A Dessert Deferred
Fiction. A busy baker begs a babe to bite a bit of baked goods.
... I don't know if wolves eat pies....


August 7, 2011
Hey, Kid, Let’s Lighten Up!
Gramma Letter. A dad describes a disease.
Each day brings a lot of Nothing New ...


July 31, 2011
Bon Voyage
Fiction. A man wakes from dreams, spills words in the direction of a friend who has gone away.
... I was snacking on ... cylinders of toasted tangled tiny noodles, sweetened and cheesy ....


July 24, 2011
What Might Have Been
Fiction. A man once married does not stay still.
... The vow ... left Fischer with a fair amount of wiggle room....


July 17, 2011
It Would Be So Easy to Shoot Him!
Fiction. In a letter to a friend, a man summarizes stories told by a Montana rancher.
... He has a cheerful Montana rancher’s manner of expression, like a man in an Annie Proulx story....


July 10, 2011
Men in High Places
Family History. An obituary reminds a man of a long-ago brush with death.
... It was a high barn, Dad said, with a rock pile below....


July 3, 2011
This Week Sat. the Sheep Lose There Wool
Gramma Letter. A grandson expresses gratitude for handwritten letters.
... Well your questions first. A drag is like a fine comb to level and smoth the ground....



May 29 through June 26, 2011
(No postings—WoWs were suspended for several weeks.)


May 22, 2011
Hazardous Road Conditions
Poem.
Did I ever tell you / about the ride a man gave me ...


May 15, 2011
Popularity Contests
Fiction. A man knows what he likes.
... I wonder what the appeal is, of a wren....


May 8, 2011
Oh, Mama,
Exclamation.
Oh ...


May 1, 2011
Long-Distance Romance
Fiction.
... it put me in mind of a high school classmate ...


April 24, 2011
Traversing the Straight and Narrow
Fiction. A man married to a female physician consults a doctor who is not.
... "Christina, I bet the furnace man was embarrassed!" ...


April 17, 2011
Perfectly Pleased
Fiction. Film lovers discuss filmmakers.
... And my favorite - Tootsie....


April 10, 2011
No Fur, No Antlers, Not Much Brains at All
Fiction. A man passes along small-town news to a friend.
... This morning’s loaf of occidental rye rose nicely....


April 3, 2011
A Bloody Glove Near the Train Tracks
Fiction. A railroad employee contemplates the complexities of health care in America.
... I bought a Lotto ticket on the Mega and ... I won ten bucks....



March 27, 2011
Showitus Interruptus
Fiction. A man not licensed as an attorney contemplates a potential breach of contract claim against a large corporation.
... I documented the amount of time I was inconvenienced last night ...


March 20, 2011
My Pleasure
Poem.
... I am ... resentfully aware ...


March 13, 2011
I Can’t Wait
Epigram.
I can’t wait / for you ...


March 6, 2011
Weight, Weight, Don’t Tell Me
Poem.
... David Fischer felt tempted ...


February 27, 2011
Cooking Class
Recipe.
... beat it with a fork ...


February 20, 2011
Perfect Clarity on a Foggy Winter’s Day
Fiction.
... by the dim lone light of the parking lot, (Frank) picked small stones from his palms and the undersides of his bloodied forearms ...


February 13, 2011
Man Without a Clue
Poem.
Roses, candy, / promises, wine ...


February 6, 2011
Lateral Pass
Fiction.
... “Have you decided, Dave, whether you’re gonna watch the Super Bowl?” ...


January 30, 2011
Named and Numbered
Fiction.
... submit them to his attorney for final preparation and proper execution ...


January 23, 2011
Off-Color Joke
Joke.
... why did the babes in bikinis drink Primo Beer on Waikiki Beach? ...


January 16, 2011
In Praise of Labeling
Fiction. A woman indicates a bias in favor of the non-colorblind.
... Never mind who gets to the door first, I smile at women if they meet my eyes....


January 9, 2011
Gunshots
Lament.
Gunshots shriek louder ...


January 2, 2011
Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot
Aphorism.
Should old acquaintance ...?



December 26, 2010
Full Plate
Rhyme.
’Twas the night after Christmas, when under the moon / ...


December 19, 2010
Foggy Weather Friends
Aphorism.
Don’t you sometimes wonder / if Rudolph’s ... / colleagues have continued ...?


December 12, 2010
Up and Down Through the Gears
Poem.
... on a summer’s day in 1967 / driving to the beach with a girl / and she comments on how / smoothly  ...


December 5, 2010
1968
Poem.
... San Francisco Bay ...


November 28, 2010
A Still Life Set in Motion
Fiction. Friends discuss e-mail as a medium of friendly conversation.
... you personally are the only person in the whole wide world to whom I personally sent the Georgia O’Keeffe item  ...


November 21, 2010
A Miss As Good As a Mile
Fiction. A man reading classified ads for motorcycles is briefly distracted by a lonely woman.
... Fischer had arrived three decades too late too soon....


November 14, 2010
A Well-Loved Story
Fiction. A man buys a book but doesn’t read it.
... without opening the book again, Fischer set it aside. He would someday find out how close he had come  ...


November 7, 2010
I Haven’t Heard
Invitation. A man invites a phone call.
... In my opinion, Ma Bell got it right when she suggested Reach Out and Touch Someone. Call, call, pick up your phone and call....


October 31, 2010
A New Day’s Resolution
Fiction.
... I can resolve to err in fresher, more interesting ways ...


October 24, 2010
Mommy Is Gone
Epitaph.
Loving daughter, sister, friend ...


October 17, 2010
Life Goes On
Aphorism.
Life goes on.


October 10, 2010
Life Is Short
Aphorism.
... but sometimes longer / at one end ...


October 3, 2010
Life Is Short
Aphorism.
... no matter how long ...



September 26, 2010
Live Each Day
Aphorism.
... as if it were your ...


September 19, 2010
An Incontestable Award
Sibling Rivalry. A philosopher writes in support of Professor Jim Nixon’s assertion "Everything makes sense."
... First one, Donna or Bruce, to solve the emu riddle wins a prize....


September 12, 2010
Begrudging the Beguine
Fiction. A man contemplates some of the missteps of his youth.
... I wonder if “not liking” to dance is perhaps more complex than, say, not liking the taste of beer....


September 5, 2010
What Does a Man Have?
Art History. Available information fails to support speculation that two loose women with little to lose hoped eventually to bid à tout à l’heure to two men down by the riverside.
... What does a man have to loose? ...


August 29, 2010
Picnic Rock Revisited
Fiction. A caregiver to the elderly carries an unholstered pistol on a cool summer day.
... I lay on Picnic Rock for a while, not long enough to fall asleep, but almost, with the pistol on my chest and (I realized later) my extra ammo clip in my hip pocket....


August 22, 2010
Auntie Extraordinaire
Epitaph.
... Her voluminous variety of virtues ...


August 15, 2010
Clinging to Truth
Poem. A man remarks upon a situation that sensibly calls for silence.
... can a lie be a lie / if you know the liar is lying? ...


August 8, 2010
The Less Said, the Butter
Poem. A man holds his tongue when he has no one else to hold it.
... beyond a sigh and a groan and a tormented moan, I have little to say....


August 1, 2010
Barefoot in the Dark
Poem.
Zis leetle peegie / go to market ...


July 25, 2010
A Man Whose Days Were Numbered
Fiction. A man wonders if three times thirteen represents a lucky number or not.
... Fischer, at age sixty-one, awoke and realized a trivial truth, namely that he had lived more than half his life as a legally married man....


July 18, 2010
Second Tuesday in July—Worship Service for the Hard-of-Traveling
Fiction. A convenient coincidence allows a man to pat himself on the back.
... in the church parking lot, in blazing heat and sunlight, I helped a church lady ...


July 11, 2010
Wilting at Windmills
Fiction. A photographer gives away his secrets.
... You recall Capt. Ahab’s prosthesis? ...


July 4, 2010
Don’t Tread On Me
Aphorism.
Wasn’t it Jesus of Nazareth who said ...



June 27, 2010
Well, I See Our Time Is Almost Up
Aphorism.
But, trust me, I could say a whole lot more ...


June 20, 2010
A Gentle Admonition
Poem. A son recalls the counsel of his father.
When I was a boy, / my dad was glad / to talk about the weather. / Nonetheless, he sometimes said ...


June 13, 2010
The Work of Thy Fingers
Children’s Sermon. Commentary on Psalm 8 and the life of Earl F. Grossmann.
... When I think of the work of fingers, I often think of my grandfather’s hands, the big, strong, rough-palmed hands of Earl Grossmann, the farmer and carpenter. I think of those hands holding my son and my daughter when they were tiny babies. I think of Grampa’s hands folded in prayer....


June 6, 2010
Astonishing Occurrences
Fiction.
... I can remember a time, back in the days of ‘The Twilight Zone,’ when phones would reliably stop ringing as soon as they were off the hook....


May 30, 2010
Voiceless
Poem.
I once had the gift / Of poetry. / Words flowed ...


May 23, 2010
Making Something Reasonably Clare
Fiction.
Henry Luce told me there is very little ambiguity in life. / I’m not sure what ...


May 16, 2010
Putting Descartes Before the Horse
Aphorism.
What do you mean / when you say I / stole your idea? / ...


May 9, 2010
Lists
Fiction. A male person and a female person attempt to improve their communication skills.
... The cane sugar didn’t slip my mind; it slipped my list. I find that shopping lists and other lists work best when I remember to look at them....


May 2, 2010
Bad Taste
Aphorism.
Bad taste / is in the ...


April 25, 2010
True Dichotomies Come in Sets of Three
Babble.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who would say that Robert Benchley beat me ...


April 18, 2010
Different Kinds of Harley Guys
Fiction. Strangers make small talk at a truck stop.
... To Fischer’s eye, the Harley was low and sleek, a hog in no way hoggish. Without a speck of road dirt or so much as a mashed mosquito, every inch of paint and chrome gleamed....


April 11, 2010
Day One, Summer Vacation Trip
Family History.
... She asked for a codeine pill and fussed like a three-yr-old when I opened one of her three full bottles of water and poured half the bottle into my own jug of ice....


April 4, 2010
The Good News, In an Egg Shell
Theological Declaration.
Rolling stone / empty tomb ...



March 28, 2010
This I Take For Granite
Aphorism.
Every body / must get ...


March 21, 2010
One Single Cigarette
Fiction. A non-smoker finds tobacco stimulating.
... “Amazing,” he said. “Three hits and I’m dizzy. Sick. Ready to fall on my face. This stuff is good as grass!” ...


March 14, 2010
Lunch Hours I Have Loved
Fiction. A middle-class, white, American man discusses what he does for a living.
... someone I’d met for the first time that day—a woman in the same line of work as my wife—sweetly asked, “So, David. What is it you do? For a living.” ...


March 7, 2010
Please Give Me a Break
Aphorism.
I am sick and tired / of your calling me ...


February 28, 2010
Honest Truth
Aphorism.
If there’s one thing I’m / proud of, it’s the ...


February 21, 2010
Identity Uncertain
Fiction. By means of an anonymous letter, a victim of a civil wrong addresses the suspected perpetrator.
... James, I seldom send anonymous mail. Please excuse me for not speaking directly to you....


February 14, 2010
Valentine
Poem.
On this day of St. Valentine, / I would urge thee, dear, to "Be Mine." ...


February 7, 2010
There is Nothing New Under the Sun
Aphorism.
God! Wouldn’t / you love to be / the one who ...


January 31, 2010
Magic on the Farm
Gramma Letter. A man recalls parental controls enforced in the 1960’s.
... Occasionally during the summers that my brothers and sister and I spent on your Wisconsin farm, one or another of our belongings would fall victim to “the Disappearing Act.” ...


January 24, 2010
Too Much on One Man’s Plate
Fiction. A man commits an important matter to memory.
In 1977, Hawaii residents David C. Fischer and his wife, Vivian Lum, purchased a new white Honda Civic hatchback automobile in Las Vegas, Nevada, and drove it as far east as Galloway County, Wisconsin....


January 17, 2010
A Woman’s Work
Fiction. A defender of feminism fails to take seriously a would-be inspirational e-mail.
... I am flattered that my reputation as a defender of feminist principles has won me a place on your Phenomenal Women mailing list....


January 10, 2010
Postponed
Fiction.
Won’t you please forgive me: my publication of this page will be delayed on account of cold weather....


January 3, 2010
Let’s Leave Good Enough Alone
 



December 27, 2009
Go, Shichi, Go!
Haiku.
A picture is worth / a thousand words, a haiku / ...


December 20, 2009
And On Earth Peace
Poem.
... I have seen / many a noble declaration / damaged or diminished ...


December 13, 2009
But That Could Change
Aphorism.
Vicissitudes / is among the words / I seldom write ...


December 6, 2009
Do What I Say
Poem.
Do what I say, and I shall / promise you pleasure....


November 29, 2009
Voice Mail Message (No. 2. of 2)
Fiction.
... sorry you got kind of ... dragged into ... the family dynamics and ...


November 22, 2009
Free Association
Aphorism (or nearly one).
Free association / cannot be ...


November 15, 2009
The Saddest Sadist
Poem.
The saddest sadist / I ever met / made me ...


November 8, 2009
Murmurings of a Man at Age 60
Borrowed lyrics. A man comments on corporeal calamity.
My body lies over the ocean / My body lies over the sea ...


November 1, 2009
An Appealing Offer
Fiction. Past-its-prime produce is put to good use.
... "What days do you work?" I asked the cute cashier....


October 25, 2009
I Object!
Poem.
When I recognize injustice, / I whisper a protest ...


October 18, 2009
Spousal Exchange
Poem.
“Baby?” ...


October 11, 2009
Productivity Report
Literary Criticism. A writer comments on a cartoonist’s caption.
... Today, while catching up on a week’s worth of Dilberts, I detected what I believe is a misplaced comma ...


October 4, 2009
Into Each Life
Epigram.
some leaves must ...



September 27, 2009
Why?
Riddle.
TEXT


September 20, 2009
The Good Shepherd and the Pretty-Good Shepherd
Children’s Sermon. A preacher comments on differences between his grandfather and the Lord Jesus Christ.

September 13, 2009
Non-Pharmaceutical Attempts to Alleviate Anxiety
Fiction. A pet owner expresses concern about crab-like perambulation by a feline.

September 6, 2009
Flicker of Inspiration
Dialogue.

August 30, 2009
I Am Trying
Poem.

August 23, 2009
Barking Up the Wong Tree
Gramma Letter. A photographer, presented with an unappealing assignment, gives in to a sedulous client.

August 16, 2009
Thrift Store Purchase
Fiction. An old magazine makes a man think of many things.

August 9, 2009
Explanation Point
Aphorism.

August 2, 2009
Concrete Thinking
Philosophical Statement.

July 26, 2009
The Less Said
Poem.

July 19, 2009
A Complaint of a Man of the Cloth
Poem. A man misunderstands a woman yet again.

July 12, 2009
Breakfast With Nick
Fiction. A man on a motorcycle stops in the village of Fjord but does not stay.

July 5, 2009
Reasonable Question
Poem.


June 28, 2009
Modesty
Poem. A photographer estimates his success.

June 21, 2009
No Choice in the Matter
Poem.

June 14, 2009
Notes of a Flour Child
Poem.

June 7, 2009
Last in Translation
Cartoon.

May 31, 2009
Cereal Monotony
Poem. A man faithfully eats his breakfast until he chooses another.

May 24, 2009
Mastering Futility
Dialogue.

May 17, 2009
Unwired
Gramma Letter. A man comments on his relationship with his optometrist.

May 10, 2009
What We’ve Got Here
Fiction. A man from Mars converses with women from elsewhere.

May 3, 2009
The End of Friendly Correspondence
Poem.

April 26, 2009
Bono Fide Ski Stories
Fiction. A man comments on the sheltered life he leads.

April 19, 2009
We Sometimes Called Her Gracie
Poem.

April 12, 2009
One Way Out
Theological Comment.

April 5, 2009
How Are My Folks, You Asked
Fiction.


March 29, 2009
Round Numbers
Poem.

March 22, 2009
Literality
Aphorism.

March 15, 2009
I Could Use Some Help Here
Poem.

March 8, 2009
Writer’s Block
Fiction.

March 1, 2009
Intestinal Ineptitude
Poem.

February 22, 2009
When I Have Nothing to Say,
Aphorism.

February 15, 2009
An Arrow Escape
Poem.

February 8, 2009
Silent Prayer
Prayer Request.

February 1, 2009
An Expression of Personal Loss
In Memoriam. An author alludes to an author.

January 25, 2009
For English, Please Press "1"
Social Commentary.

January 18, 2009
Matchless Marvel
Fiction. A married man’s mind wanders in his kitchen.

January 11, 2009
Death of An Insect
Poem. A man writes with a pen on paper after he eats his breakfast.

January 4, 2009
Resolving a Misunderstanding With a Tough Guy
Fiction. While a student contemplates violence, a sailor stays steady.


December 28, 2008
Wringing Out the Old
Poem.

December 21, 2008
Christmas Greetings of Sorts
List. A man goes through his mail.

December 14, 2008
Rosebud Rediscovered
Gramma Letter. On a quiet winter evening in a small Wisconsin town a father and his son raise Kane.

December 7, 2008
Gambling and Gamboling
Poem. A dog leads a man on a slippery slope.

November 30, 2008
Playing It Safe
Fiction. A man defends a habit.

November 23, 2008
Simply Put
Fiction. A writer takes the brevity out of aphorisms.

November 16, 2008
Here’s Lookin’ at Me!
Fiction. A man reflects on mirrors.

November 9, 2008
Apolitical Message
Fiction. Two men discuss the weather.

November 2, 2008
A Modest Plan
Poem

October 26, 2008
Mistakes Have Been Made
Fiction

October 19, 2008
[Not Titled]
Photo Title

October 12, 2008
Insomnia
Aphorism.

October 5, 2008
Essentials of Shooting
Gramma Letter. A photographer recalls some head shots.


September 28, 2008
Two T’s in Repetition
Poem.

September 21, 2008
Change of Heart
Poem.

September 14, 2008
Higher Mathematics
Political Commentary.

September 7, 2008
My Shirts
Poem.

August 31, 2008
Astonishment
Poem.

August 24, 2008
Praying for Wisdom
Fiction. A small-town man passes judgment and passes on gossip.

August 17, 2008
Living a Fictional Life With a Presumably Real Insomnia
Fiction. A man attempts to comfort a friend who could not sleep.

August 10, 2008
Olympic Event
Poem.

August 3, 2008
Cutting Back
Poem. Two friends practice restraint.

July 27, 2008
From Jerusalem to Jericho
Fiction. A man confesses to plotting to commit a good deed.

July 20, 2008
An Entirely Unfair Riddle
Fiction.

July 13, 2008
A Question Concerning Rhetoric
Aphorism.

July 6, 2008
A True Statement, As Far As It Goes
Family History.


June 29, 2008
An Unorthodox Hospitality
Gramma Letter. A visitor receives an unexpected welcome.

June 22, 2008
Loss of Averages
Fiction. A man thanks a friend for permitting him to speak frankly.

June 15, 2008
Checklists
Aphorism.

June 8, 2008
A June Day
Fiction. A man reports on storm damage.

June 1, 2008
Comparatively Speaking
Chart. A communicator lists pros and cons of various media of personal communication.

May 25, 2008
Spilling Beans
Fiction. A man delivers news to a hometown friend who has moved away.

May 18, 2008
Trivia Report
Fiction. An aging man writes of people more aged.

May 11, 2008
A Mother’s Small Request
Poem.

May 4, 2008
Easy as Pie? Who Would Know?
Fiction. A baker critiques his own strawberry pie.

April 27, 2008
About My Reticence
Aphorism.

April 20, 2008
Let Sleepy Dogs Lie
Fiction. A deliriously sick writer wanders throughout the countryside.

April 13, 2008
Proceeding Slowly
Poem. A man is so sick he can barely move.

April 6, 2008
Words
Commentary.


March 30, 2008
Recommendation
Poem.

March 23, 2008
The Resurrection
Theological statement.

March 16, 2008
Exchange of Greetings
Conversational fragment. A man receives a phone call from a friend.

March 9, 2008
Two Men the Same Age
Poem.

March 2, 2008
Feeling Low
Comment.

February 24, 2008
Bank Service Charge
Fiction. A man falls asleep, wakes to find his pockets picked.

February 17, 2008
An Instant of Recognition
Poem. A man makes something big of something very small.

February 10, 2008
Some Restrictions May Apply
Fiction. A woman turns up the heat on a baker in his kitchen.

February 3, 2008
Public Record
Poem.

January 27, 2008
A Happy-Enough Woman
Limerick.

January 20, 2008
Hazardous Duty
Poem. The poet recalls a favorite class in school.

January 13, 2008
I Get No Response When I Harangue the Meringue
Poem.

January 6, 2008
Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth
Fiction. A writer raises questions of authorship; a tipper tips her hand.


December 30, 2007
Many Words About Fewer Words
Fiction. A writer comments on editing.

December 23, 2007
Where Do We Go From Here?
Poem.

December 16, 2007
Spirits of the Season
Poem.

December 9, 2007
Slow Thinker
Poem.

December 2, 2007
Seriously
Epigram.

November 25, 2007
Relatively Speaking
Fiction. A man and his mom greet relatives on Thanksgiving Day.

November 18, 2007
Contemplating the Miller High Life
Art Commentary.

November 11, 2007
Winds of War
Poem.

November 4, 2007
It’s Good
Poem.

October 28, 2007
Legal Observation
Poem.

October 21, 2007
A Public Appearance
Fiction. A Jack Daniel’s label gives rise to bottled up emotions.

October 14, 2007
Pretty in Pink
Poem. An autumn evening has the potential for ending with a bang.

October 7, 2007
Autumn Leaves
Epigram.


September 30, 2007
A Roast is a Roast is a Roast
Poem.

September 16 & 23, 2007
Thoracic Park
Poem.

September 9, 2007
Antidepressants
Poem.

September 2, 2007
I Am Glum
Poem.

August 26, 2007
Over-the-Counter Medicine
Poem.

August 19, 2007
Favorite Subject
Poem. A man with a camera recalls when he first took a shine to photography.

August 12, 2007
A Mother’s Touch
Poem.

August 5, 2007
Health Care Reform
Fiction. The usual moaning and groaning about high cost of American medicine.

July 29, 2007
Went to Bed and Slept
Poem.

July 22, 2007
Missed Kisses
Fiction. A man alone has a poor night’s rest.

July 15, 2007
Hung Out to Dry
Poem.

July 8, 2007
Double Entendre
Declaration.

July 1, 2007
Territorial Disputes
Family History. A mother and others protect their young.


June 24, 2007
Dealbreaker
Fiction. A shy man reaches out with both hands.

June 17, 2007
A Question of Paternity
Gramma Letter. Bud boasts that he has known a Hollywood celebrity for thirty years.

June 10, 2007
Having A Nervous Break-In
Fiction. A lawyer recalls a trespass.

June 3, 2007
A Missed Chance
Fiction. A man regrets interfering with a friend’s generosity.

May 27, 2007
Lethal to Love
Remark.

May 20, 2007
Kids Today
Remark.

May 13, 2007
A Familiar Resemblance
Family History. The author’s memorable countenance is found in many places.

May 6, 2007
Hesitation
Poem.

April 29, 2007
Lutherans Learning Latin
Poem. Family History. A boy guesses at meaning in a universal language.

April 22, 2007
Mass Misbehavior
Poem.

April 15, 2007
In Praise of Flannery O’Connor
Fiction. A writer comments on a writer.

April 8, 2007
Seeds on Stony Soil
Gramma Letter. After Sunday School, something surprising pops up at home.

April 1, 2007
City Boy’s Lament
Fiction. A small-town resident addresses questions to candidates for public office.


March 25, 2007
Foggy Morning in May
Poem. A man loses something costly regardless of its worth.

March 18, 2007
Wisconsin Stone-House Window Light
Poem.

March 11, 2007
The Endless Silence of the Sky
Poem. A man looks up, and his feet leave the ground.

March 4, 2007
Circumflexible Circumlocution
Poem. An English-speaking man who once studied Koine Greek helplessly flails about.

February 25, 2007
Perils of an Ice-Cream Parlor
Poem. An insufficiency of solemnity costs a soldier her dignity.

February 18, 2007
One Good Way to Write a Family History
How-To.

February 11, 2007
I Valentine’s Day
Poem.

February 4, 2007
An Unsportsmanlike Attitude
Poem. An American father commits blasphemy on Super Bowl Sunday.

January 28, 2007
Kelly Girl
Family History. A secretary ascends through the glass ceiling. Fortunately he is not wearing a skirt.

January 21, 2007
Mom Came Home
Fiction. On a Wisconsin winter evening a man with no companion fails to roast chestnuts by an open fire.

January 14, 2007
On Gossip
Proverb.

January 7, 2007
Getting Ready for a Journey
Planning Form. A two-page form that can help a person "get things in order" for when he or she leaves this earthly life.


December 31, 2006
Ski Sticks
Gramma Letter. Two friends look back over one year and many, many decades.

December 24, 2006
Ticketless Travel
Gramma Letter. A young man and young woman reach out to receive the kindness of strangers.

December 17, 2006
And One Tree More
Gramma Letter. A family man recalls some trees of Christmases past.

December 10, 2006
Wide Margins
Book Review: The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln

December 3, 2006
Wisconsin Welcome
Fiction. A man, not very tall, finds a woman he can look up to in a small town.

November 26, 2006
Farm Chores
Poem.

November 19, 2006
Old Dogs & Sunday School Teachers
Children’s Sermon. A man discusses the harsh realities of teacher recruitment.

November 12, 2006
Pulling the Pins
Fiction. A hard rain carries a man into a stream of consciousness.

November 5, 2006
Taxi Driver
Family History. An accident investigator performs with alacrity and efficiency.

October 29, 2006
A Limited Number of Slams
Family History. A boy contemplates the principle of the Conservation of Matter.

October 22, 2006
What Helps?
A father, a year after his teen-aged son’s death, offers a “Report of Emotional Health.”

October 15, 2006
Awaiting the Aftershocks
Poem.

October 8, 2006
It Never Rains But It Pours
Poem. Two women encounter a road hazard in inclement weather.

October 1, 2006
Two Fires in a Farm House
Family History.


September 24, 2006
A Woman Without Clothes
Poem.

July 16, 2006
Burger King Limerick


July 9, 2006
Does Not Meet Our Present Needs
Fiction. One author grows impatient with another.

July 2, 2006
Father-Daughter Look-Alikes
Gramma Letter.


June 25, 2006
Cost of Eggs
Journal Entry. A gentleman farmer makes a bookkeeping entry in narrative form.

June 18, 2006
Chester Joins the Family
Gramma Letter. A father casts his vote against a dog.

June 11, 2006
If You Can’t Beat ’Em, ...
Gramma Letter. A father fails to reprimand his daughter.

June 4, 2006
Dress Code Violator
Gramma Letter. A former divinity student is misidentified by a law enforcement official.

May 28, 2006
Bob Can’t Believe the Kids Have Grown
Family History. Cousins-in-law recall the winter of ’87.

May 21, 2006
Cars Colliding With Living Things
Gramma Letter. The author contemplates the fragility of life.

May 14, 2006
A Mother’s Work
Epigram.

May 7, 2006
Smooth-Soled, Borrowed Boots
Poem. Two non-cowboys ride off into the sunset.

April 30, 2006
Photographic Technical Data
Philosophy. Two friends discuss the absence of a photograph.

April 23, 2006
About the Photographer
Portfolio Blurb.

April 16, 2006
Did You Toss Anything Into the Water?
Fiction. A man asks a woman friend to expand her journal entry.

April 9, 2006
One Epigram
Epigram.

April 2, 2006
Old Joke
Joke.


March 26, 2006
Folding Laundry
Fiction. A father contemplates his happiness and his heartache.

March 19, 2006
I Promise I Will Write
Quotation from a Gramma Letter dated April 26, 1994.

March 12, 2006
Please Stay a While
Poem.

March 5, 2006
A Mostly True Adventure
Cartoon. A nurse rehearses for duty at Guantanamo.

February 26, 2006
With No Other Churchwork ...
Poem.

February 19, 2006
I Remember ... Hair
(Available only on paper. Write to Bud.)
Poem.

February 12, 2006
Not Marking a Book of Poems
Poem. Yet another self-explanatory, self-obfuscatory title, such as poets sometimes produce.

February 5, 2006
Warming a Woman in Winter, Part 2
Fiction. On a cold day in February, a furnace man receives a kiss from a client.

January 29, 2006
Warming a Woman in Winter, Part 1
Fiction. Before dawn on a cold day in February, a furnace man receives a request for service.

January 22, 2006
A Valentine Wish for a Philospher
Poem.

January 15, 2006
Now I Lay Me
Prayer.

January 8, 2006
But Did You Like the Picture?
Family History. Bud gives his friend directions to a little house.
Document redacted.


January 1, 2006
The Second Day of the New Year
Poem. A confession, not entirely unambiguous.


December 25, 2005
(Journal Entry: December 25, 1969)
Poem.

December 18, 2005
Ten zillion Chrismas lights aglow ...
Poem.

December 11, 2005
One Good Way to Write Letters ...
How-To.

December 4, 2005
The Start of a Long Drive
Fiction. A forty-year-old Impala reminds a man of a long-ago Bel-Air.
(Part one of a two-part story)


November 27, 2005
Yes, I Do Believe I Know
Poem. Observations on the power of words.

November 20, 2005
An Excused Absence
Family History. A freshman at Rio High School finds his father was right (again): It Never Hurts to Ask.

November 13, 2005
Snip
Poem. A young man faces romantic loss.

November 6, 2005
It Followed Me Home
Fiction. A Baltimore man travels a great distance in an old car.

October 30, 2005
Spañada
Poem.

October 23, 2005
An Enduring Truth, or Two
Poem.

October 17, 2005
A Drive Out West
Family History. A father gives his opinion.

October 10, 2005
Precious Cargo
Fiction. A father takes inventory of his possessions.

October 3, 2005
A Man With a Messy Van
Family History. A father finds he has what he needs to help a boy in trouble.


September 25, 2005
Trout Stream (of Consciousness)
Family History. The author remarks upon three fine fish.

September 18, 2005
A Short History of My Hair Styles
Political Comment. The author makes an erroneous or clever prediction about the consequences of the U.S. presidential election of 2000.

September 11, 2005
Wake-Up Calls
Family History. A diary entry for a big day in American history.

September 4, 2005
Spoken in Car #84
Poetry. Conversations and comments in a taxicab.

August 28, 2005
Name-Dropping
Family History. The writer describes "brushes and near brushes with celebrity."

August 21, 2005
Beg Your Pardon
Poem. An artist seeks to put a model at ease.

August 14, 2005
Carrot Cake
Recipe. Writing that requests a response.

August 7, 2005
Firstborn Child
Family History. The stork delivers David to Bud and Fran.

July 31, 2005
Lunch Sometime Soon
Poem. The narrator declares his good intentions.

July 24, 2005
Communicating With a Kiss
Family History. A child brings clarity to a radio broadcast.

July 17, 2005
Calling a Spade a Spade
Poem. The author speaks fondly of an aging pet dog.

July 10, 2005
Bird Shot, Bird Bumped
Poem. The author recalls some pheasant stories.

July 3, 2005
An Unidentified Body
Poem. The author finds a surprise in his kitchen.


June 26, 2005
A Can With A Hole in It
Family History. A cup of coffee causes a man to think of guns.

June 19, 2005
A Story of Sons & Fathers
Family History. A father compares his own "parenting skills" with those of his dad and his grandpa.

June 12, 2005
A Cat and a Rose
Family History. A pet departs; a rose rises (more or less).

June 5, 2005
A Hard Place to Be In
Poem. The author recalls a "picnic rock," beloved by children on a Wisconsin farm.

May 29, 2005
Shooting Photographs
Family History. The author wonders about a wristwatch his uncle sent home from a war zone.

May 22, 2005
Be Seated Please
Poem. Simply a silly poem.

May 15, 2005
“A Scent So Sweet”
Family History. A reflection on grief.

May 8, 2005
Twice-Found Love
Fiction. A man discovers a love letter, and then discovers it again.

May 1, 2005
Some of What I Try to Avoid in My Writing
Literary instruction. A list, exactly as the title suggests.

April 24, 2005
Second Chances
Children’s Sermon. A story of God’s grace.

April 17, 2005
Saltwater Daffy
Poem. A man at the beach watches women in the water.

April 10, 2005
The Caliente Sisters & Other Angels
Family History. A man recalls some women he has known.

April 3, 2005
Comrades in Arms
Family History. A story of two soldiers and their enduring alliance.


March 27, 2005
Our David Has Died
Family History.

March 20, 2005
Domestic Dangers
Fiction. A family man fondly recalls a friend.

March 13, 2005
Good-as-New on Monday
Poem. A long life, all on one page.

March 6, 2005
Marbles Coach
Family History. The author recalls his boyhood in Japan.

February 27, 2005
Snug and Safe, Wrapped in the U.S. Flag
Political Comment. The author attempts to display restraint, while urging his country’s leaders to display restraint.

February 20, 2005
Uncle Al Leads a Scout Astray
Family History. A lad and his dad set out for Boy Scout camp but they never arrive.


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