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Archives
of Bud Grossmann’s
Words of the Week
© 2012 by Bud Grossmann.
All Rights Reserved.
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Clarke Avenue (Blue), 1969
© 1969 by Bud Grossmann
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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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This page was updated Sun, May 20, 2012, 1:23AM CDT.
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© 2012 by Bud Grossmann
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