A.G.E's Joint

  Waiting Taming the fear  Of the call Sure to come. A whole life Dropped into the final hole. The stop sign we all come to.

As Mary made her way down the cobblestone streets, she could help but notice how Sienna was so different than Upper Saddle River. At home, everyone locked themselves in their faux French chateaus inside gated communities. Neighbors were tolerated at best, with almost no eye contact. Here the streets were narrow and the building ancient, but there was an openness. People here went out of their way to socialize and make people welcome.    The art festival was a lucky find. The villa, as beautiful as it was, was boring. Michael was going to be tied up all day and she needed to get some air. The cobblestone streets in the city center felt like the past calling to her, memories of Shabbat. Arguments put to the side while thanks for the bounty to was raised to Adonnai . The smell of challah filled the senses and she could almost hear Grampy reciting the Kadesh, the low, guttural words booming from his flowing beard. Warmth and nostalgia were good things sometimes.   S...

The trip was both as a lark and an escape. Route 66 from Chicago to his Daughter’s house in Santa Monica. At 55, he was at loose ends. In the last year, he caught his wife in bed with some jerk and his company went bankrupt. After everything settled, all he was left with was $20,000 from the house and the van they had used to camp at the lake. So, why not run away? The Ex thought he was nuts, but she never liked any idea that she didn’t think of. There was nothing left to lose. She could just enjoy riding the new brute. He didn't have to be there to watch them blow to pieces.For that reason alone, he was going to take long road and take his own sweet time to get there.    As he drove across the red desert into Flagstaff, he marveled at the last few days.    It had all started at the truck stop on Motel Row Sunday morning. It had been an easy trip to that point. A little storm driving up to Chicago and a flat outside Tulsa. But other than that, nothing but t...

First love or first crush? Mistake one for the other. Turning physical. Was it just play? Have fun, enjoy the game. Wearing protection From the inevitable outcome. The gestation Of your first true love. Circle goes around Again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Topic- Dave Coon Pic- Jonathan Harvey Pic guesses: Help Desk, I.T., On hold, Wired, Hit any key, Over my head, Hacker, Geek Squad, Cable Guy

    Rain fell harder as Jack approached the exit. Ominous grey clouds in the distance promised more to come. Fitting weather for a memorial, he guessed. Twenty years passed by since he was last in town.   Without thinking, he began to hum Turn! Turn! Turn!, another season passing. It seemed like yesterday Barry, Mark, Sam and him were the Putzietones, at your service for Proms, Weddings and Bars. Fun days, or at least most of them were. They had started in Mark’s garage as an excuse to drink. One thing lead to another and they found they played well together. Never breaking out of the regional club circuit, the gigs paid for gas and some ass. Over time, life intervened.    About the time the record company came around, Sam’s girl, Mary got pregnant and they decided to get married. Mark got bored and went back to school. That left Barry and him and the sketchy contract they had signed. Soldiering on in a couple of more bands, Jack got the job with t...

 Everytime we say goodbye  I die a little Every time we say goodbye  I wonder why a little  Why the gods above me  Who must be in the know  Think so little of me  They allow you to go  Tuesday night was always light, a small crowd wanting slow music and good drinks. On the half-filled floor, the mismatched couple drifted contently in each others’ arms to Tony Bennet’s voice. Shag cut platinum wig reflected red and green stars under a floppy blossom covered bonnet. The sunflower dress cinched her frail body at the waist in such away that it appeared she had a stunning figure. He dressed in his best suit with a little cologne.  It had been a long day at the hospital, with tests and a session. Some news was promising and other things that were concerning. But there were no false illusions. They needed a diversion from the darkness. Out of the blue, she said she wanted to go dancing. Exhaustion and exhil...

So, the other day I got home from picking up my wife and picked up the mail. Most days, it is ads, bills and other items that frankly they shouldn't have bothered with. Just think of how many trees died for that slick coupon sheet advertising house cleaning services and what not. And this batch of mail was similar, except for one envelope with a laser printed address label. I shrug, guesses it is a dinner invitation from a stock broker wanting to "invest" my non-existent money in a fake warehouse scheme, or maybe for some inaccessible land in the mountains. The shredder is hungry, but I stop.What really is in there? Ripping the flap open are vouchers to a local restaurant, and then I notice who sent it. A local funeral home. Great! Now, I know I'm getting old. I mean, I've been getting crap from AARP for at least ten years and now someone wants me to face my own mortality, probably on the monthly finance plan. I showed it to my wife and she laughed. ...

Hey, Heidy and Howdy! It's Harry Handy on WOFT. I'm the randiest, dandiest D.J. in all oldies radio and I'm here to fuel your Geritol dreams. Dreams of long ago and far away, when you were sixteen and stupid. What's that you say? You weren't stupid? So, give me your answer to this. Yep. your past is NEVER far from the Google archives.And I am willing to go where no man (or imaginary DJ) has gone before to find it. (And this was the safe for work one). Speaking of Geritol Dreams, if you are man that is older than ol' Harry, you may have lusted after Ann-Margaret. Her red head meant fiery times alone in the dark. The girls hated her because she (along with a lot of others) date Elvis. The guys just wanted her. These days, she likes her privacy, but I'm willing to ignore that. Yes, you were Dazed and Confused. Then you got older. Found a girl and supposedly got wiser. Then you became this song. Now your doctor is telling you to give...

These were the words of the prophet written on the subway walls. And tenement halls. So, I did. I've spent too much time on this Random Walk of Life stuff. It is all vain, anyway. Ecclesiastes says so. God doesn't require us to succeed, he only requires us to try. I know. You fear I'll change my mind. Never my love. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Topic-Dave Raider Pic-Kim Herndon Pic guess: Words of the prophet (in blog), commandment, graffiti, Sound of silence, classroom. .  

Shifting through the sands of time? It is the raîson d'etre for my writing. Every week I round up the usual suspects and grill them on the prompts. Characters based loosely on life. Sometimes I think it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship . Other times, they claim I despise them.  Truth is, if I gave them any thought, I would. I let them kiss as if it were their last time. Sometimes it is. They come to me as ghosts in the deep woods . As Little Red Riding or Alice in Wonderland . Early on, the text was laid naked with little editing. Now, it is fussed over like a fashion model. Trying for the "just so" look. Early clowning is now more circumspect. I am older. There seems to be less to laugh about. And that is sad. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Topic-Dave Coon Pic-Irene Melgoza Pic guesses: Alice in Wonderland (in blog), Little Red Riding Hood (in blog) Deep Woods (in blog), G...

Where are the places silence goes ? Places to escape the shock of real Looking to be healed. The stalled car spoke to him while he trailed an elk, as it did to any who passing by. Its existence here was a profanity to all the wilderness stood for. A poster child to the world of greed and cruelty.  The same one that used him, spitting the empty husk like a dormant seed. And the wilderness accepted him as one of its own, allowing regrowth before his returning to dust. The buck jumped twenty feet into a shifting snow shelf. He sighed and realized no meat today. No way to follow without a collapse.The sun was getting dangerously close to the opposite ridge. Night will be coming soon. Looking back to the metal ghost. It would make good cover for the night and maybe there will be some supplies. As was his habit, he looked both up and down the ridge for tracks. There were none and he approached. The gray silhouette contrasted with the back lit snow. White eyebrows adorned edge...

It piles high. The detritus of our youth Objects that once meant the world Tossed in the open air storage unit. Animals and toy cars that meant much Are now soaked and mildewed Now return to the dust. Just like us.  

It begins with A cry. Shock of light and cold After squeezing and pinching Landing on A sweet mound To sleep. It begins with A light From eyes inviting The effort to pull up After falling on A sweet mound To cry It begins with A fight Over what to do As the body grows Sweet mound To give It begins with A bite After shells are shed And the sweet mound Swells larger To please Now... It begins again....

Hey, Heidy and Howdy!   It’s your randy, dandy old time D.J. Harry Handy.   I'm looking at all you lovely GILF's populating my dreams. Today’s program is truly special for my geriatric group. I know you’ve been keeping with the Miley Cyrus thing?   Actually, I haven’t.   But whole affair centers around her cavorting nekkid across stages with various props and actors.   Kind of like this. Actually, the subject is the lack of respect we old people get from the youngsters out in the world.   They say we are out of touch and irrelevant.   WHERE have we heard those words before?   Why out of our own mouths when we were that age and younger.   And we were LOUD!! And we said the very same things to our parents and grandparents.   Don’t trust anyone over 30.   Give peace a chance! War is wrong! Well that still is the case, but I digress.   Respect for yourself and others has taken a nosedive in this in...