Name Change
We were hungover leaving the yacht broker’s house. I asked…
Expiration Date
At a dinner party with the yacht broker who had sold me the boat,…
Glamour of Thieves
I located a boat in Texas. Practically a new vessel, with less…
Synchronized
In North Carolina, we looked for a house up and down the Outer…
Beyond Romance
I called Betsy from a phone booth in Edenton, North Carolina,…
Hurrying to Elsewhere
Leaving church, I drove out to the Oconaluftee River, found a…
The Good Father
Looking for a wife, I decided to go to church.
I was proud of…
Empty As A Pillowcase
I had known women who wanted children, who had spooked me. One…
Rooster May Crow
The impulse hit me like remembering something you forgot when…
FOURTH OF JULY—An American Garden of Fire
Gunpowder flowers
bloom after dark,
Flaming roses,
black-eyed…
A Letter to Young Writers
The only true voice a writer can speak in—honestly and…
Spinning The Bottle
That first winter in high school, we were wild. Not…