Thoughts from the Chaplain’s Corner: On the Passing of Terry Anderson (1947-2024)

Greetings ST, and All, When I heard about Terry Anderson's passing yesterday, one of his self-described 'prison poems', "Patience", from his 1993 memoir, Den of Lions - detailing his 7-year captivity in Beirut [1985-1991] came to mind again. A printout of the poem - a thank you from a patient - hung above my office … Continue reading Thoughts from the Chaplain’s Corner: On the Passing of Terry Anderson (1947-2024) →

Saint Valentine’s Day Poem

Time to tweak this bad-boy. Just wanted to bring it to mind and tell you I wrote it on Valentine's Day after finishing a plate of baby-back ribs at Applebees, cold and alone on FEB 14. I asked the waitress for a piece of paper and pen because the poem sort of fell into my … Continue reading Saint Valentine’s Day Poem →

Achilles in His Tent

For Love of The Great Lover

I woke up to the glorious sun of the yellow corn pictured here, warmth, colour and light spilling from my IPad into my still-tenebrous chamber. (It’s early yet, as folk would say here.) A simple, quotidian comestible, and one I think of as quintessentially American; I remember reading that corn-on-the-cob is disdained in the Old … Continue reading For Love of The Great Lover →

Simon’s Letter to President Trump

Frost-y Morning

I woke up to Nanda’s request the I explore a poet on our blog here. Oh— if you insist! ( meaning: I thought you’d never ask! Caveat: this is all purely personal, my degrees are in Anthropology and law; I ain’t no English major.) “Blood has been harder to dam back than water./ Just when … Continue reading Frost-y Morning →

Miracles by Jeff-Starship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f93RCCbij4c I've been so many places, I've seen some things. The koolest name ever in rock & roll: Grace Slick.

Family friendly is a euphemism for boring. Am I right?

'Cause there ain't nothing family friendly about it.

Road Trip in Pics

Winning the Peace Ch. 1 (AKA: Not Nation-Building Ch. 96)

I’ve had opportunity to work overseas with many of Uncle Sam’s alphabet soup agencies (DEA, CIA, DOS, USAID, etc.) and have generally been underwhelmed by their lack of foreign language skills and understanding of the local culture. On the other hand they are filled with lot of really intelligent people with advanced degrees who speak … Continue reading Winning the Peace Ch. 1 (AKA: Not Nation-Building Ch. 96) →