The home is warm and cozy. My sister-in-law Morgan’s decorations are subtle—a millennial nod to an ancient tradition. Her tree rises six feet from the floor and tastefully glistens in the living room. My little (bigger) brothers and their families stomp the snow off their boots as they come in. Piles of snow gear accumulate … More Seasons Greeting
Some time ago, my partner and I spent much time back in the country of her ancestors: Italy. As we combed through records and bounced around government offices and communal cemeteries, I had an epiphany of sorts. I sat down and wrote them out. I do wonder if Anna’s ancestors would ever have imagined that … More Momento Mori
I worked with two men in construction for a while. As it usually goes with these types of rough men, their transformation into builders has a reason. I generally try to find that. Little clues into their life are splattered here and there. It just takes the right key, and the lock springs open. This … More The Gift of Normalcy
When I was just a boy, my father, my uncle and I would practice subsistence moose hunting. It is the act of hunting to eat, rather than to collect a trophy; which is an unforgivable act. We’d take ATVs far into the mountains, dozens of miles away from any roads, which were hundreds of miles … More Colosseums of Time
Alaska, that Cruel Mistress We paid our rent to Alaska dearly that summer. The most beautiful places in the world charge the highest. Alaska charges the most. The landscape will bring you to your knees, but in turn you will pay in weather, darkness, cold and sanity. I spent those short summer months in a … More Alba Sulla Montagna (Part 1)
Clouds mix with fog, the air is heavy and cold. It stings against my cheeks. My breath tumbles out of my lungs and spills into frost against my beard. I wish it would leave. But it stays. The mountain’s layer of crystal crunches against my boots. It crushes about like so many pieces of glass. … More Broken Promise
“Mister, you shouldn’t be out here.” She is young, at least I think. I can’t tell. “I needed a minute.” I reply. “Well I was going to smoke.” She says. “It won’t do to have you around when I do that. “Smoking is bad for you.” “Honey, we are beyond that.” She replies, laughing. … More The World Learned to Sing Again
The cat rests on my lap. A glass of bourbon I received for my birthday sits on the table to my right. She comes in from work. She looks harried, and tired. This month has been a tough one for her. Fall always is. She lets her purse fall to the floor and says “I’ve … More A Place I Will Always Know
The winter winds would blow down from the mountains. The snow from the peak would come down and coat the trees even when the sky was clear sometimes. Their cabin was built just below the tree line where the trees still grew tall and could shield it from the worst of the mountain gusts. She … More A Forest Spring
Storied By Josh 