My Father’s War Souvenir

Paulie, my father’s friend in Madison, tells meThat after the Army bussed him back to MilwaukeeHaving held onto him for … More

July 8, 2024

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

We run together in the strong windThe two of us launching my first kiteHe’d made for meCutting and gluing the … More

My father swinging a pickaxe rhythmicallyUp over his head and slamming it downThe point piercing hard red clayBreaking it all … More

But everyone disappears, no matter who loves them. — Dave Eggers At 69 his body rememberedThe punchingOne oneTwo one twoThree … More

He fought as a flyweight in his Wisconsin college daysSkinny, yes, but a vicious tacticianGrowing up on Kaua‘i, his nickname … More

Thinking I don’t feel like anything’s slowing down for meyet, bolting out of a house of wood and stone, gonefrom … More

His body was given for me, he thought, kept hearing it overand over while he watched the walk along the … More

For one, you were a sleight-of-hand magician,and I still haven’t figured out all of the tricks youpulled, a tribute to … More

It’s blinding, the kind of pain that comes with the rains,up here, this time of year, lots of work for … More

My pond’s overrun by guppies again, and at perhaps 2000 gallons, it’s not a small one. . . . a … More

I’ve had this dream before, variations of it, many times.This morning it was my final dream of the night,so right … More

There is no one who knows a father’s kneebetter than a child who wraps his armsaround that knee and clings to it like … More

My dad used to have them outside his den. I remember sneaking down there in the dead of night to … More

My dad had a store of useful phrases for any occasion.Most memorable for me was, “I need X like I … More

“To another Valentine’s Day,” the older man said, lifting his pint. The two, sitting side by side, clinked glasses, took … More

With her tousled white hair and shredded clothes, the elderly Japanese woman appears to be someone living on the street. … More

When I was young, my dad told me he went to the moon on a big rocket ship.He said it was … More

He wasn’t the type who’d say, This is my old lady. He introduced my mom by her nickname only, never … More

He watched the Buddhist monks practice their archery at Kapiolani Park. They would draw back the bowstring, close their eyes, … More