The following morning, a package appears on the front porch. It’s wrapped in brown paper, secured with twine, and addressed to Inglorion in a bold, slanted hand. He opens it with trembling hands to find the first volume of Sir Richard Burton’s Thousand Nights and One Night. The paper and binding are stiff and fragile with age. […]
Even skimming Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia yields some real gems. Justice Samuel Alioto’s dissent is a feast of specious reasoning. I particularly enjoy the old chestnut where he seeks to preserve feminine delicacy from the sight of a dick. Alioto writes: For women who have been victimized by sexual assault or abuse, the experience of […]
I posted this photo on my Contact page yesterday. I used the photographic print in the lower-right corner as a visual reference when I was writing “His Lordship Used to Model, But He Was Young and Needed the Money.” I had a little mini-epiphany about the image as I was driving to work. I thought, […]
Now that there are two mouths to feed, Lucius sends Inglorion to buy a half-dozen pullets, saying, “Lots of people sell them around here, but I’d recommend this fellow Brutus. He sells a few from his flock every now and then, and I think you’ll find him interesting.” And so Inglorion walks a few miles […]
Once they’ve eaten and rested, Lucius leads his father into the city. Inglorion is tired and numb. They cross the railroad tracks: Half-seen, impressive, mysterious, and entirely meaningless to our hero. He can’t make sense of the abandoned cars that clog the streets, either, so he ignores them. After miles of incoherent and abandoned cityscape, […]
At first, Inglorion felt the serene clarity that follows a long illness. As Inglorion lies there, in his son’s embrace, emotion and sensation well up within him. He says, “Where are we, Lucius? I don’t understand how you found me.” “What do you remember?” “Very little. It’s strange. I can’t recall where I’ve been recently. […]
Let me briefly draw the reader’s attention to this excellent discussion of police brutality by John Oliver. It’s one of the strongest arguments I’ve seen in favor of defunding the police. Overall, I’m pretty damn skeptical of the idea. Or, at least, I was until Oliver played a clip of Tucker Carlson braying that people […]
Inglorion emerges from a long, cold stillness. His limbs are cramped like he’s been lying in the same position for too long. He’s limp, drained and aching, as if he’s suffered a long bout of fever. Instead of the melancholy of influenza, he feels calm, distant. He rolls onto his side, lies there for a moment, then […]
Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from the President of MetLife Home & Auto soberly assuring me that, in this time of uncertainty, “Our team is here and ready to help so you can focus on the health and well-being of you and your family.” That’s nice. But what took you so long? You […]
Soundtrack and Video: Johnny Cash, “Hurt” Tereus wakes up, dry-mouthed, bile rising in his throat. He’s tied to the split-rail fence surrounding the stable yard. His arms and legs are spread wide, and he’s slightly bent at the waist, cheek pressed against a rough wooden beam. His bonds are cruelly tight. It’s exhausting to support his […]
