A true story of unlikely salvation — In 2003 my grandfather died and left me 6,000 dollars. I was 30 years old. Never having had more than 500 dollars at one time, I went a little nuts. I quit my job at a collection agency and broke up with my girlfriend, telling her “I just want to…

King of the bums — A lot of writers bash Bukowski. It’s almost a sport, a very easy sport. Like kickball. No, Bukowski is not the pinnacle. Yes, Bukowski-worship is annoying. Worship of any author is annoying. But why is it ok to worship someone like Billy Collins or Sharon Olds? “But, but, but those…

Notes of a Tucson hack — These days of cabbing all run together. I grip the wheel and try not to get in an accident, try to stay aware. Sometimes I drive for 15 minutes to arrive at an address and hardly remember getting there. I listen to the passengers gab and I listen to the…

a story for my father-in-law, may he rest in peace — A new supermarket called Ley opened a few blocks away and Suegro, my father-in-law, decides to walk over there and see if they need any security guards. He puts on his official navy blue SEGURIDAD PRIVADA jacket from his current job and starts off on the trek. He steps out…

on my 53rd birthday — At this point in my life I just want a simple job maybe at a small loading dock somewhere a kind of inside/outside job where there’s a clipboard hanging on a nail on the wall on which are written simple things things a man can understand no sophist bullshit or poetry or syllogisms or political malarky. And maybe there’s…

“Long enough you have dream’d contemptible dreams, Now I wash the gum from your eyes, You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light and of every moment of your life.” — Walt Whitman I go to a get-rich seminar with my friend Greg. It seems like a scam so I leave to hang out in the garden. Greg shows up in a few hours. He says, You should have stayed, I made 2500 bucks. He shows me the cash but the wind blows it onto the grass where two…

My mistress Mary — She comes into my apartment from the heat of the desert day. “Hi Mary,” I say. “Hi, Matt,” she says. She stands in the middle of the room and fans herself with her small hand. “That cab was hot,” she says. …

Until death do us part — Woke up early to take Natalia to the urine lab. They always want the urine from first thing in the morning. “Maple syrup urine” as some famous writer said. Back home we both crawled back into bed. Soon I was dreaming I was Superman. I had a job as a waiter and I was a super…