The answering machine beeped into the dark of the basement. The panel for the security system flashed, indicating a Perimeter Violation in the master bedroom, a faint, high-pitched ring, somewhere. Chumley was freaking out, his claws skittering across the tiles…. Read More ›
Memoir
Voodoo Doll
Kendra was so beautiful she made me uncomfortable in my house. Even though she was with her boyfriend John, her beauty (and my attraction to her) would prevent us from ever having a normal relationship. They came up from Philly… Read More ›
This Mortal Coil
Chris, Dave and I were wedged into a one-bedroom cottage above a Texaco off Division Street in Ocean City, Maryland. The CD function “Repeat” was still a novelty to us in 1992, and we put the record Blood on by… Read More ›
Spirit Dog and Screw Face
Ben was a Golden who lived on a farm down the road. We called him Spirit Dog because he had to cross the highway to get to our house, and never got hit. Emmet was a mutt who got abandoned… Read More ›
Acceptance
This was supposed to be fun, about the enjoyment of writing. It’s not, when you think about it too much. Yesterday I got to do Yoga for the first time in a couple weeks. She had us do Tree pose… Read More ›
Beginning
The coffee maker is a riot of sound, of gargling: it’s the Fourth of July climax when it sounds off and beeps three times, declaring it’s done. I’ve been through the ritual that starts by the light of the closet,… Read More ›
The Specter of Failure
By the end of 2011, I had gotten really down on work. I let my beard go long, such that I was receiving comments from co-workers, and had put on a few pounds. Yoga was harder than ever, and rare… Read More ›
English 413
This was a senior-level English poetry class I got into as a sophomore. We met in a log cabin on-campus and sat in a circle, facing each other, as we read our poems and critiqued one another. One night we… Read More ›
Lies
When I met my friend Pete, he asked if I could sing. I lied and said yes, I did – which was part truth and part lie. The truth was I did sing – but whether I could sing was… Read More ›
The Dénouement
I am a big fan of putting things away. I even like putting away Christmas decorations, and if it’s been a bad Christmas, I’m not as gentle. This is the beginning of our German denouement, and soon, my sabbatical denouement…. Read More ›
Bill Pearse 