Life’s Music

I wake up singing from time to timeThe omen’s good or maybe notDepending on the song, of courseThe day is … More

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When I’m deep in practiceI’ll go an hour or twoOnly pausing perhapsTo add a new fingering or chordAnd at the … More

Grad school was a bad time to discoverI was burned out on reading and writingHad only a desire for playing … More

I’ve always found love works this wayBefore it strikes the highest peakBlows out and sinks my last desireIt hints at heat … More

Charles Dickens whispered, “On the ground”Meaning and significance? Mr. HartSits back and thinks in terms of legal precedenceThe message in … More

The road has been some sort of songLonger than the 45 I thought it might beCloser to the beginningAnd winding … More

Not this time. No. I’m done with all of that. I watched. Closely. I always do when I sit in … More

“What do you mean, you give up?” “I’m telling you, it’s not what I expected. It’s too hard.” “When you … More

“Hey, Lanning, you look younger every time I see you.” I look up and see an older gentleman smiling down … More

“If you can’t play for us,” Jan says in an encouraging voice, “you know you’d have a tough time on open … More

The little girl’s eyes were riveted on the four objects her father placed in front of him on the table. … More

Of course it must be “you” Even though I think of your ashes As a collection of what you were … More

My mom’s ‘ukulele, a Martin, very rareSits on the piano she also played The ‘uke was her favorite instrument There’s … More

After all the crying and cursingAfter all the anger and griefTime had the time to heal the woundBut what followed … More

My dad would have been 105 years old todayHe died in 2009 at age 89 in a nursing home He … More

You were the only one I ever huggedWho made me feelYou were closer to me than I was to myselfIn … More

Legs crossed, they sat bent over the creaking teak table, the top worn from years of scrubbing. The fare was simple, … More

I’m happy to say that my 6th Lt. David Chan Hawai’i-based mystery, The Case of the Curious Car Accidents, is … More

I am long past wondering if teachers have affected my life. That is the way it is. Some to a greater extent, … More

I have two American flagsBoth tucked up tight in black framesTriangular shaped to hold them foldedBut still recognizably red, white, … More