POEMOGRAPHY | 2023
Poems by R.M. Usatinsky
pōəˈmäɡrəfē, noun: form or process of writing and representing poetry
MARCH
01MAR23 | SEVEN YEARS ON
I am still haunted by what I witnessed
that night; in the early hours of a cold
winter's day, woken by footsteps in the
hallway; by unrecognizable voices of men
I feared for all of their lives, played and
re-played all the possible scenarios in my
head, watched as the unassuming grey vehicle
finally pulled away in the hazy light of dawn
it was hours before Linda came to my door;
her face was pale and hollow; how could
such beauty be reduced to this heartbroken
shell of a woman, what cruelty had befallen her?
she told me her story with tear filled eyes, turned
and walked away; the next time I saw her, some
months later, she was a shadow of the woman I
had known, her body ravished by another cruelty
seven years on those images remain so profoundly
embedded in my memory; and like footprints in freshly
fallen snow or the frozen morning dew that crackles
beneath your feet, it is an icy, bitterly cold remembrance
02MAR23 | HEALING
Time does heal all wounds
it seals the fissures made by
heartbreak and disillusionment;
distance, loss, animosity and absence
I can barely remember what
your voice sounded like, your
photos are all but unrecognizable;
your music inharmoniously unfamiliar
but there are the memories, occasional
remembrances of bygone times, better
times and brighter days when we were
who we were and nothing came between us
I don't think of you as often as I used to
and imagine as the years go by thoughts
of you will dwindle quietly into repose
floating in the outermost realm of my mind
and when the time comes to confront the past,
there will be no forgiveness or jubilant exaltations,
only the scars of desecration cut upon the flesh and
deep within the common existence that was our bond
03MAR23 | UNFATHOMABLE PAIN
How will I overcome this unfathomable pain?
pain from the loss of loved ones, friends, iconic
celebrities and personal heroes whose passing I will
be summoned to endure as my own mortality wanes
the endless phone calls in the middle of the night;
unstoppable tears that flow from eyes sore from
mourning; the silent screams and shortness of
breath; the tightness in my chest and shooting pain
but just whose loss will move me the deepest is
difficult to surmise; singers I suppose, Robert,
Roland, Gordon and more than a few named Paul;
how cruel is death that only leaves the living slain
and what if the unthinkable happens, the thing I
can't even bring myself to mention let alone ponder
for fear that its thought alone would destroy me;
how could I ever bear a loss as harrowing as that?
contemplating all of this has left me with a despair
I'm afraid will simply never subside; why, then, could
I not simply steal away, pack a bag and catch a train
to some faraway place where death will never find me
04MAR23 | TAKING THE REINS
I am done playing the blame game
it's time to step up and fall into line
to take the reins, to become the adult
in the room and accept responsibility
it's a simple matter of doing what needs
to be done, tallying numbers, organizing
the books, keeping track of things and
making sure to get the receipts and invoices
I never aspired to be a businessman and don't
pretend to know much about the inner workings
or intricacies of commerce and finance, but I do
run a small business which requires my attention
and while it's been easy and uncomplicated up
until now, that's all about to change so I'm getting
down to brass tacks and starting to take things
more seriously and seeking the advice of others
I'll sleep better at night knowing that my affairs
are in order, that what's coming in comes in and
what's going out gets out; now all that's needed is
a bit of patience, diligence and confidence in myself
05MAR23 | THE BENEFACTOR
It seems my life does have some value
after all, some monetary value, that is;
and you recognized that value from early
on and exploited it in a sordid kind of way
I sat quietly at the big oval table in the
notary's office, nodding and smiling and
signing and initialing where I was told to
sign and initial; and did it happily for you
there was never a question of doubt or lack
of trust; this was to be a home for our family
and I felt part of that family, at least I was made
to feel like I was genuinely part of that family
but it seems I was more of a benefactor, a hope
and a prayer that someday, sooner rather than
later, my untimely demise would serve to clean
the slate, wipe out the debt and pay the balance due
and that's why I never saw those letters, the ones you
said were from the pension fund; but now I know what
those letters really were and why I wasn't meant to see
them; as Hesiod said, the fool only knows after he has suffered
06MAR23 | NUMBER FIVE
I know a little something about control
not because I am a controlling person, but
because I have observed firsthand how others
control or allow themselves to be controlled
now it prefaces to say I know nothing about
you, about you or him or your very unique
set of circumstances; but what I did observe
on Saturday afternoon left me a bit concerned
I imagine it can't be easy being so beautiful,
intelligent and seductive and no doubt capturing
the fancy of many admirers, but good looks and
charisma often come with a high price these days
and while I'll be the first to admit I was taken in
by your picturesque charm and old world allure, I
was just as startled to see how discomposed you became
every time the phone rang or a text message came through
what price do we pay for love and to hold on to what we
think we need when deep down we know it's not as much
as what we need but what we fear losing most? I'm sorry
I made you cry, but sorrier still that my pain kindled yours
07MAR23 | EIGHT
Happiness is often found where you least
expect to find it; in the ripple that rolls so
gently across the canal; in the outstretched
wings of a swan as it prepares to take flight
it was on this day eight years ago that one
of the happiest events in my life took place;
you came into this world with a smile on
your face that illuminated the universe
you came and you touched my heart in ways
I could have never imagined; you were the
light in a life whose luster was beginning to
fade, whose meaning was beginning to wane
so, today you are celebrated and loved, loved
beyond words and loved for the unconditional
love you manifest in everything you do; loved
for your smile and your wholesome giving heart
wishing you a happy eighth birthday with the
hope that this and every passing year brings you
tenfold the joy and abundance you bring to others;
may your days be one hundred and twenty years
08MAR23 | A WOMAN OF VALOR
I have been surrounded by women
all my life; raised by my mother and
grandmother and by the gentle strength
of Elnora, who I remember so fondly
and she, of all the women who have been
a part my life, though not of my own blood,
race, religion or family was, quite possibly,
the one woman who loved me more than any
for it takes an extraordinary and selfless soul
to care for and love another who is not one of
your own, and care for me she did and in the
most unassuming, loving and generous ways
I would spend hours at the community center
my great-grandfather managed and keeping a
young boy entertained, safe and settled wasn't
an easy task, but she was resourceful and keen
sitting me down in the kitchen in front of an old
black and white TV, she'd cut a block of vanilla
ice cream from the carton, put it into a bowl and
pour Coke on top while I watched the Cubs game
09MAR23 | THE INDIVIDUALIST
I have always been somewhat of a lone wolf
choosing to go at it alone, taking on all the
responsibility and basking in all the glory
of whatever it was I was endeavoring upon
I suppose it's a bit of insecurity and fear of
failure, the not wanting to disappoint others
for my shortcomings; disappointing myself
is sufferable and I'm quick to be self-forgiving
so, why am I telling you this? I'm telling you
this so when you ask me when my play will
be finished and when I tell you I have no idea
we'll both have a mutual perception of things
and when I tell you there's no one who wants
to see this creation come to life as much as I
do, I'm hoping you'll sit back in your chair and
smile or nod or ever so casually stroke your brow
in the end, I'll do it my way, in my own time and
with whatever resources I can muster up; I have
to be the one who decides that this is my calling
that this is the life I was always meant to live
10MAR23 | AWKWARD SILENCE
When the silence becomes like a baby's whisper
that is when you know you have found someone
who really hears you through the raucous patter;
the unbearable din of inconsequence and disorder
silence is never awkward when there is synergy;
when two people connect at the outer reaches of
the human condition, when everything that has
been said has been said before and said again
and there can be no awkward silence when there
is trust, respect and admiration; silence is never
silence when the frequency transmits kindness
and the undulating waves fill the void of voice
it doesn't matter that the stories are the same or
the images painted by words are unassailable in
their sadness and resolve; this is who we are, who
we have always been and from whence we came;
so, listen a little more closely to the silence, for
within you will hear my heartbeat and feel the
resonance of my being; and when the silence is
finally broken, my words will flood the heavens
11MAR23 | WELCOME HOME
It was a cold and lonely trek to Rotterdam, but I
always make an effort to meet you at the airport
when you come home (I've been making airport
runs since I was a child as my mother was the
designated picker-upper in our family as she
was the only one with a car); so, I suppose you
could say I have airport runs in my blood; and
there's always the anticipation of seeing you for
the first time in months (it's been five since your
last visit) and I always try to remember to mind
my posture and stand up straight when greeting
you with that first hug when you walk into the
arrivals hall so I don't appear (that much) shorter
than you! and that first hug is what has kept me
going all these many months; that hug and the
sight of seeing you and catching up on things
hearing how you've been getting along, knowing
that you've been well, happy and productive with
your burgeoning new career; but I'm just happy to
have you home, close and able to share some time
12MAR23 | ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
I’ve always wondered if I really died that day
in late October 1981 in the grassy median on
that Missouri highway after having only left
home for the last time some six hours earlier
I have few recollections of that day, packing
up my '72 Camaro with my dog, Fender amp
and Rob Simon's orangeburst Hamer that he
promised would make me a rock star in L.A.
and I remember my mother standing in the
third floor window of the three-flat we lived
in on Washtenaw peering down at me with
tears in her eyes as I drove off waving to her
I had cleverly lodged a thick tree branch
between my seat and the gas pedal which,
like a makeshift cruise control, let me rest my
leg that was already tired and beginning to cramp
suddenly the car began jumping violently and felt
as if I was driving over rocky, rugged terrain which,
in fact, I was; I slowly started breaking and took stock
of my surroundings before coming to a stop in the grass
13MAR23 | MYSTERIOUS CHORD LAYERS (FOR R.S.)
I’ve had many friends over the course of my life
as one does; some friendships have been temporary
and others life long; but none as constant and quirky
as my friendship with you, how long has it been, 43 years?
I don’t exactly recall how it was we came together, perhaps
it was through David R. who worked at the Milk Pail with my
father; and the first time I sang for you in David’s basement
I was as nervous as I was the day I chanted my haftorah
but you took me in, took me under your wing and showed me
what it was like to be in a band—to be part of a band; even if
I wasn’t the greatest singer, you always made me feel like I
was, and all these years later, you still make me feel that way
you protected me like an older brother (though I’m actually older
than you!); and you looked out for me and made sure no one passed
me a bong, roach clip or whatever those crusty stars were on those
little squares of paper; that was friendship: protective, wholesome;
confession: the night you came by my apartment in Scottsdale with
Burton to collect your guitar, I was home, home but in the company
of someone I was too ashamed for you to meet (ain’t that a kicker!);
and here we are all these years later, still making each other laugh
14MAR23 | THE REFLEX
Yesterday I had what I think may have been a defining
moment in my life; I was riding the 17 tram on my way
to work when the tram driver slammed on the brakes
nearly missing a small red car that cut off the tram
I was seated in one of the window facing side chairs,
an empty seat between me and a young Asian woman;
in a split second, the tram came to an abrupt stop and
out of the corner of my eye I saw the young woman as
she was jolted towards a partitioning wall; and in that
millisecond, I threw my right arm towards her grabbing
the sleeve of her blue nylon winter jacket, stopping her
from hitting the bulkhead and certainly injuring herself;
she turned to me with a confused look and I apologized
saying it was just my natural paternal instinct, telling the
young woman I was father to five children and that any
parent in that situation would have reacted the same way
she thanked me and said she understood and we both kind
of shook the whole thing off, she returning to the game she'd
been playing on her smartphone and me, confounded by the
idea that I may have actually grabbed the girl to save myself
15MAR23 | ROXANA (THE WONDERING)
I think about all the things I'll never get to tell you
all the things you'll never get to hear or know about
the life I've lived and the dreams I've dreamed and
all the days of wonder you and I could have shared
but I guess some things are just not meant to be;
some people like their toast done on one side and
others relish in the calm and quiet of a life void of
music and fuss and things that go bump in the night
and I will often wonder about the pain you endured,
that which brought you to the here and now so far
from the life you came from in the Țeara Rumânească,
a world of lavish though brutal turmoil and oppression
but most of all I would have liked to hear your stories,
listening ever so attentively to the ways you see the
world; the ways you live, love and raise your family;
(is there still a trace of an accent when you speak?)
so, now all that's left to do is wonder; wonder about what
might have been, wonder about how soft your hair would
have felt between my fingers and wonder about what your
beautiful eyes would have seen looking deeply into mine
16MAR23 | RHYMES WITH COFFEE
I should know better; I mean, really, at these
heights, at this advanced age...but what can
I tell you, I'm a sucker for a pretty face and
yours is the prettiest I've seen in some time;
pretty and smooth and clean and lovely; not
a blemish or beauty mark, freckle or pock; so
what is it about you that stands out so notably?
what is the allure that keeps you in my mind?
perhaps it's the air of self-confidence you so
unpretentiously reveal in your forthrightness
or the way you dress in a manner that overflows
with individuality and subtle elegance and class;
and you're smart, funny and engaging; and for no
good reason other than your sophisticated good
manners you remembered my name and were
kind enough to compliment me on my haircut;
though you possess a youthful demeanor (perhaps
because you are young and high spirited), I felt as
though I was in the presence of an old soul, someone
who is ever so worldly and wise beyond their years
17MAR23 | WORLD WAR III
I used to play army when I was a kid; me
and Arthur and Gary and Laz and that pesky
little Sturt kid who always hung around with
us older guys; we were a bad ass battalion
and I loved all those blockbusters with bridges
blowing up and hoards of Nazis being rounded
up by GI Joes or Green Berets and Navy Seals
with grease paint faces and camouflage pants
but today, as war looms in the Eastern sky, I
wonder if Vlad and Jin played soldiers, toting
toy Kalashnikovs or 95s as they ran through
gardens and back alleys seeking out enemies
there is no good thing that will come from this
war, only death and destruction, carnage and
the leveling of cities built to house and protect,
to provide places of wellness, work and worship
I am saddened to see the images of bombed out
houses and women crying over the graves of their
fathers, sons, husbands and brothers; sadder still
thinking of my own children living in the aftermath
18MAR23 | SAYING GOODBYE (FOR E.)
Saying goodbye is never easy, it never fits
well in my mouth and it certainly weighs
heavy on my heart; but we've been saying
goodbye for years and will for years to come
the first time I bid you farewell you were just
a child; young enough not to understand why
I was leaving, where I was going or why you
couldn't come with me; and I felt the same...
and it's not to suggest that saying goodbye gets
any easier, but the one consolation is in knowing
that every goodbye means there will be a new
hello somewhere not too far in the near future
of course there will always be that one, final
goodbye, and of course neither of us knows
when that will be, one never does; like the last
time, years ago, when you put your hand in mine
and by the time I finish these lines, your plane will
have landed and you will be in the comfort of what
has been familiar to you all your life; the explosions
and gunpowder that fill the streets of Valencia tonight
19MAR23 | BUCUREȘTI (FOR R.)
My grandparents loved Bucharest and traveled
there many times during the 1970s; my grandfather
told a story about how they planned their visits to
Romania last on all of their European vacations;
they did this because on the last day of their trip
they would bring their belongings, packed into
two large Samsonite suitcases, to a church in
Bucharest that sat upon a hill in the city center
they would struggle to carry the two heavy
suitcases up the long stone stairway that led
to the church and once inside they would be
greeted by the elderly white-haired caretaker
in addition to their vacation clothes, they made
sure the suitcases contained plenty of sundries
including toothpaste, deodorant and bar soap;
necessities for Bucharest's poorest of the poor
I'm not suggesting anything unscrupulous was taking
place, my grandparents were very generous, but my
grandfather had a habit of losing his navy duffle bag
at every port of call then reporting it to get a new one
20MAR23 | DUST
It accumulates...everywhere; but mostly behind
furniture in hard to reach places where I tend to
find it difficult to maneuver my aging body in
ways to wipe, sweep or vacuum the dust away
and while I never actually observe the dust as
it piles up, it piles up, creating gray mats and
hair-laden clusters taking up their very own
space in the universe of bothersome things
and the havoc it wreaks upon my lungs and
nasal passageways is demoralizing to say the
least; the sneezing and wheezing and snot and
whatnot overwhelming my respiratory system
but dead skin cells, hair, fabric fibers, bacteria,
dust mites and pollen aren't the only culprits as
I recently discovered that our proximity to the
motorway is yet an additional cause for concern
so, I dust the dust and wipe down the dirt and keep
my air purifier clean and change its filter once a year;
and twice a day I spritz a fine mist of saline in each
nostril and give a hearty blow to clear out the airways
21MAR23 | A SOLUTION FOR EVERY DILEMMA
I frequently have to remind myself that there
is a solution for every dilemma; an answer to
every question (Not having the foggiest notion
is also a valid answer); and when I am stopped
dead in my tracks looking for the smallest clues
from the universe, I often ponder what it might
be really like being as clever and resourceful as
I have spent my entire life telling myself I was;
and then there are those conundrums that require
special attention, consultations with people in the
know––accountants, doctors, lawyers, clergymen––
experts who provide solutions and enlightenment
I have already put in a call to my tax advisor this
morning; I'll be seeing my GP on Thursday and
my rabbi next Tuesday; I'm preempting while I'm
also preparing for what awaits upon the horizon
but mostly I am confident, certain that I have enough
will and wherewithal to weather the storm, or storms,
whose menacing cumulonimbus clouds have been
gathering and waiting tenaciously in the distance
22MAR23 | MISUNDERSTOOD
I don't have a middle name, but if I ever chose
to employ one, Misunderstood would be high
on the list of candidates; and as middle names
go, there probably isn't a more fitting moniker
so, it seems, at least from my vantage point, that
I have spent nearly a lifetime being misunderstood;
misunderstood for the things I say, how I act, what
I wear and misunderstood about my purpose in life
and I suppose while being misunderstood has its
mystique in some of the more quirky layers of
human behavior, I can say with a high degree of
confidence I never intended to be misunderstood
so, I take stock of all the relationships I have had
and lost over these many years of my life to a
variety of misunderstandings, misgivings and
miscalculations about the condition of humankind
and if there is anywhere to place blame other than with
myself, I would cite the vast and nearly immeasurable
cultural incompatibilities I have shared with those who
have been, however transiently, my most steadfast allies
23MAR23 | THE FUNERAL
We were high school sweethearts,
met at a 4H public speaking contest
I won the blue ribbon, you won red
next time I saw you was at the JCC
you wore a reddish jersey sundress,
bright white teeth made whiter in
contrast to your deep summer tan
and thick, long, straight brown hair
and today I looked on, unbeknownst
to you or anyone, as your mother was
lovingly eulogized and buried in the
place we both once called our home
seeing your brothers and you all these
years later, 37 years to be exact, brought
back so many vivid memories of our past,
a past of innocence and childhood fancies
you talked about those Friday night dinners
and spending shabbos at home with your
parents; and I was there, too; how odd of
me to think I might have been there today
24MAR23 | NO JEWISH HEIRS
It's not about religion, it never really was;
a rabbi once asked me why I light candles
on Friday night and when I told him it was
because I knew my grandmother would be
proud of me for doing so, he said that was
not a virtuous enough reason to light shabbos
candles; and when that same rabbi got sight of
my tefillin––the ones my zayde wore that were
given to me when he passed away in 1980––he
pronounced they were too old and in an awful state
of deterioration that was no longer "kosher" as the
leather was badly cracked and peeling; he suggested
I buy a new pair (at a considerable expense seeing
how I was somewhat underemployed at the time)
and allow him to properly dispose of (bury) the old
ones; I did this with much trepidation and later deeply
regretted my decision; and as I once again slowly return
to my roots, re-encountering my Jewish-ness, it has now
occurred to me that, regardless of the fact I have five lovely
children, I will leave no Jewish heirs once I am dead and gone
25MAR23 | NO TICKY, NO WASHY
In this game there are no winners and
no losers, but everybody pays a price;
there are only concessions and broken
things likes hearts and trust and people
if only you had the vision, or perhaps I
should say the imagination, to see how
things might have been with such little
effort or compromising your self-esteem
but you have only ever thought about you;
your feelings, your desires, your ambitions
and your vision of what you deemed to be
the perfect little world of your own creation
and now it's all fallen apart, but you don't see
it that way, not yet anyway; but you will, soon
enough, because no ticky, no washy; you can't
have it all without paying the ultimate price;
I blame myself for not having seen the writing
on the wall, but I kept the faith, I believed in you
and put it all on the line, put my bottom dollar
on the losing horse that ended up spitting the bit
26MAR23 | UNDUE INFLUENCE
I get it that you're not happy about what's
to come; there's a spoil in your masterplan
and it's ripping you apart; but that doesn't
mean you're not going to try and backtrack
I remember how a cousin once told me about
how great-grandfather Jacob, on my biological
father's side of the family, used to pit his sons
one against the other to consolidate his control
so, I find it interesting observing how this idea
of influence works, how people are so easily
lured one way or another by gifts and charm
and promises of this or that and what's to come
it's as if I'm already gone, the parcels are being
divvied up and claims made to the pickings of
what will be left behind; vultures are circling
waiting for any morsel to drop from the treetops
but I suppose that's par for the course, this is what is
to be expected, this is human nature, how we function
as a society where everything is short-lived and nothing
really matters other than what matters at this very moment
27MAR23 | HUSBANDS & WIVES
I've never met Steve or Scott, but I've known
their wives all of my life; neighborhood girls,
grammar school friends; and news of their
husbands' cancer battles came out this weekend
sadly, I woke up this morning to find out that
Scott suddenly lost his last night and Steve's
wife had posted a photo from her husband's
hospital room just a few short hours later
these are men around my age, a bit younger
or a bit older I'm not really sure, but good
men, family men, hard-working men with
children and step-children and grandchildren
while I mourn for their wives and families,
their illnesses remind me once again (as if I
really needed reminding) of the fragility of life
and how everything can change in a heartbeat
but my body reacts to a different kind of cancer;
one brought on by close proximity to hatred and
resentment; in that toxic milieu my breathing is
labored while the whole of my being surrenders
28MAR23 | A HAND-TO-MOUTH EXISTENCE
I've lived an amazing and full life, one filled
with immense joy and unparalleled experiences;
I've been there, done that, travelled, lived in a
variety of wonderful countries, cities and towns;
I've been blessed with children and my share of
relationships––all which have ended but not before
bearing the fruits of love and tenderness; you might
say I have been both lucky and unlucky at love;
and in addition to a rewarding (though not always
joyful) twenty-five-year career as a teacher, I have
dillied and dallied having had about one hundred
different jobs in all sorts of work-related fields
but my grandfather said it best many years ago
when he said you've done it all, everything except
make money! and he couldn't have been more
spot on in his brutally honest pronouncement
I've never felt it to be a hardship having lived a
hand-to-mouth existence, I have never aspired to
wealth and my ambitions have been eager though
modest; my wealth transcends money and possessions
29MAR23 | SHALOM BAYIT
There is this concept in Judaism known as
shalom bayit, which literally translated means
"peace in the home;" it comprises harmonious
relationships between husbands and wives
but in the broader sense, it is a device whereby
peacefulness is practiced in the home, by the
family members, each one contributing to the
harmony, cohesion and success of domestic life
for years now, I have lived in a home quite the
polar opposite of this lovely tenet of Talmudic
interpretation; my home is more akin to a war
zone, a dysfunctional dystopia of odious clamor
there is shouting and screaming, swearing and
threats and tumultuous upheaval; and there are
unkind words spoken with virulence and spite
where compassion and encouragement should be
I long for the quiet times of the past, when books
were read and conversations were had and when
family time meant time spent together, not gazing
at screens or raising voices drowning out the calm
30MAR23 | THE BURIAL SOCIETY
I will soon be welcoming the sixtieth summer
of my life, and while I plan on living to be one
hundred and twenty, there are some arrangements
which need to be given careful consideration now
one such arrangement is a funeral and proper
Jewish burial; this week, I have applied to become
a member of the local Jewish community, giving
me the privilege to a grave in the Jewish cemetery
additionally, I will require membership in the
chevra kadisha, or Jewish burial society, who
will undertake the task of the ritual cleansing
of the body as well as dressing and grooming
as to not be a burden on my loved ones, these
arrangements will be paid for in advance and,
when the time comes, be fulfilled by the burial
society and various members of the community
my final resting place will be in Wassenaar, a
town six kilometers from The Hague on the North
Sea coast; while far from where my ancestors rest
in Chicago, I chose to be closer to my children
31MAR23 | BLUR
So much of my life is a blur, so many un-remembered
moments; like that time I was in Charleston where all
I can recall is the dreaded calzone incident; it seems as
if my recollections are like a faded 8mm highlight reel
and it's not like I remember the most cherished moments
of my past, after all, eating only two bites of a supposed
vegetarian-friendly calzone to find pieces of chicken in
its layers of cheese and sauce hardly qualifies as cherished
but those are the random unexceptional vignettes that seem
to characterize how I look back in search of noteworthy events
that would support the notion that my life was indeed every bit
as extraordinary as I make it out to be; at least to myself, anyway
how does my fragmented brain select and compartmentalize all
these quirky random reminiscences, sorting and filtering and
layering memory upon memory? sure I remember lots of things,
the parrot in the Fontainebleau lobby in Miami Beach, for example
I have many memories of that trip to Miami with my grandfather in
1968; the Batman sticker he bought me and pasted on my shoulder
bag; breakfasts at Sambo's, the hurricane and the day we escaped
the heat by sitting through three showings of Bullitt; I was only five