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…

A whale washed up onto the beach last week it was all over the news Natalia wanted to go down and see it she doesn’t want to do much these days because of the sickness hasn’t been out of bed in a week nothing like a dead whale to motivate people when we got there holy…

Pedro is on his way to his baby’s baptism after working all morning throwing mud on cement blocks he gets fender-bended on Alameda but he doesn’t have a moment to lay into the guy he shows up 5 minutes late to the church the preacher slams the door in his face dead-bolts it he’d warned people not…

Notes of an American Picker I don’t know who invented The Nifty Nabber but I’d like to shake their hand. It is a meter-long stick of durable lightweight steel with a hard plastic handle and a rubber-tipped claw at the end which is used to pick up trash which has…

My neighbor planted 12 banana trees in his front yard he waters them constantly I guess he loves bananas or the idea of bananas he looks sad when he sits staring at his banana trees big green leaves waving in the breeze bananas are pretty good I got no problem with bananas but I’m not holding my breath…

The will to a smiling soul — She breached her apartment doorway behind her aluminum walker, dragging a torpedo-shaped oxygen tank on wheels, with hoses that slithered up and into her gaping, striated nostrils. She easily weighed over 500 pounds. She tossed a cigarette to the ground with a grimace. She had tennis balls that had been…

These are my poems and I will put into them the things that please me * My hand shakes as I draw my mother’s face from memory * Mexican clown juggles limes on a unicycle in front of my car at the red light coins in the console burn my fingers…