That my parents were Irish immigrants is probably the most significant factor in my writing life. The English expelled my father from Ireland around 1920 at age 18 or so for running gun...

Sometimes it helps to learn a relative has died a close relative you haven’t seen in years and didn’t plan to see again because

Every evening, up in my rooom, I try to finish a poem but Chicago is hot and it’s better outside,

There’s a glorious sound system no… in the restored train depot where… from all over the nation once took… train to Camp Breckinridge before taking a plane to Korea.

Years ago my wife bought three wall clocks, atomic clocks they’re called. They require no batteries and you don’t plug them in.

He wants to be fair to both sides because there’s an election coming soon so he tells his side every day

Fancy spam emails I don’t mind nor the ones cobbled in broken English from someone who says he’s with a bank overseas

Faye gives Fred next door her sister’s number to call in case Faye dies. Faye’s 94 and feels okay. Her sister’s 90 and Fred’s

You start by throwing things out packing things that will fit in a smaller place, selling stuff that won’t, ignoring the birds because the seed’s run out

I look in the mirror and I’m not… Where did I go? I don’t know so I look around and see my wife with the dogs and kids. Not one of them sees me.

When a man’s young, this work is hard but it pays well and he can feed the wife and kids.

Some emails are more difficult to receive from a child long out of college