Layer by Layer

This is a flash fiction piece that I wrote and submitted not too long ago. Thanks, Neil. This thing is open for debate- speak your mind.

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But, he didn’t have the answer. And, somehow, she thought, if I stare at him hard enough, I’ll find the answer. Her stare took him apart layer by filthy layer. First, she took his skin and shook it out and beat it like you do a dirty hallway runner. Then she laid it out and, using a critical eye, looked for clues. Like the time he lost the keys to his office an d blamed her for it and they got into that big fight, she found that in there. Then she found the time he lost $386 gambling at the casino and tried to blame it on her and her mismanagement of the checkbook (she was an accountant for chrissakes) and they got into that other big fight. She found other stuff in there too, like the time he sped through that school zone and almost hit a kid, but didn’t tell anyone, a lot of stuff like that. But she didn’t find what she was looking for. For that she would have to dig deeper. The answer was there, somewhere deep in his bones then, she could feel it in hers. She found that time his father took him fishing and then his father passed out drunk and they floated in the middle of the lake until night, after the mosquitoes had eaten him and his father finally woke up. She found the time his father took the dog out back and beat it with a bat for stealing steaks from fridge. But it wasn’t what was she was looking for. She ran her fingers through his entrails, through his veins and squishy brain. She found the time that he was born and his mom and dad were fighting over how much he cost them; they couldn’t pay the mortgage, the hospital bill, for the damned diapers. Let’s just give him away, damnit! That’s not it, she thought. Finally, after enough digging, she found herself floating in the space between his molecules and after enough effort caught an atom between her teeth. She chewed and chewed until she broke it down and found herself floating within its space. And it was beautiful there, that immense nothing. It was peaceful in there, infinite. There it was, so deep inside. She stayed for as long as she could, long enough to appreciate him for his potential. There, deep inside, his peace was forever and there were no more memories, there were no more times. There was only him, and from far away she could feel his heartbeat and wishing she could bring this back with her to show him that it would be ok. She tried putting some this in her pockets, down her shirt, in her shoes, but it leak back out. She had found him deep, deep in there but he wouldn’t believe her. And, so they would have another one of those big fights, and she would tell him he was made of better stuff, his potential was beautiful she’d seen it. But he would just stare at her like she was crazy.

Old Crow Medicine Show

Glo and I caught OCMS in Indy last night. The show was great, could have been a little louder, but still a great show, full of energy, and the venue was cool. The show was a the Vogue NightClub in the Broad Ripple neighborhood. Here is a taste of what we saw.





I think the part I liked best was when everyone would start hillybilly stomping all at once and you would bounce up and down whether you wanted to or not, a Moonwalk for adults.

Also, Gloria and I hit up Country Kitchen, a little soul food spot near downtown. If you're ever in Indy and and in the mood for some southern cooking, this is the place. The place is a dive, but everyone is friendly and the food is satisfying. Lemonade in jelly jars, biscuits and gravy as big around as your head, and fried pork chops that make you want to slap yo mamma.

MLK, Jr. Day 2009

These are Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes culled from the Internet, if you find an inaccuracy here, please let me know:


"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

And Away We Go

So the trip to Texas was good, it would have been great, but I was sick for most of it. Got to see family and friends, and even made a couple of new friends. Gloria was able to meet up with a childhood friend she hadn't see in a long time. Thanks to Facebook, we've been able to reconnect and connect with folks we thought were out or gone from our lives. I'm now in the process, thanks to Facebook, of meeting up with some childhood friends of my own.

I had another Small Word moment over Xmas Break, two actually. The first, Gloria's long lost friend Cindy, had actually lived here in Indiana (Syracuse) after leaving Texas. Her sister lived in Goshen only until recently, and they have in-laws in the area. Then, as we were making the rounds and saying hello to family, we discovered that one of Gloria's peoples is neighbors with my aunt who lives in Mexico.

Oh yeah, we were attacked by flying ice on our way down to Texas and now have two dents on the roof of the RAV to prove it. If it had been much lower, it would have flown through the windshield and decapitated Gloria, that would have been gross. And sad.

Hmmm, we're in the mood to move. It usually happens once or twice a year, and we usually let things hold us back (our finances are so good right now, i need my graduate degree first, we haven't had a kid yet, family, etc). Neil says if we go out to visit him in Colorado, we won't come back. I wouldn't mind Austin, San Antonio less, but nowhere else in Texas unless it was an emergency. So do I start my MLS in state or do I go online, where I can be mobile, but it's expensive? Hmmm?

Let's have a good year, OK.

Merry Christmas

and so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
the near and the dear ones
the old and the young
a very Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year
let's hope it's a good one
without any fear...