Memoir
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Baghdad by the Bay…A Love Letter
We’re going back to San Francisco in September to celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary, as we’ve done irregularly over the past 41 years or so. I really love that city. Something about its history, weather, people, culture, and compactness just… Continue reading
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Writing For My Life
The following was written in response to a college assignment to read “Write Like a Motherfucker.” I don’t remember whether I read this somewhere or someone told me: Writing is writing. Period. If you’re not vomiting words onto the page… Continue reading
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Wisdom Earned
I recently celebrated my two-year anniversary of graduating from college at the age of seventy-five, with two degrees: an A.A. in English and a B.A. in English Creative Writing. Summa Cum Laude, baby.And so I’ve been thinking a lot about… Continue reading
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Untitled Random Poems #3
The poetry of lifewords on a pagestreaming out of my mind singing like a sageSounds abound dancing sALSA in my soulmy fEET have foundmERENGUE has no fears.the poetry of mAMBO in my heart crying from deep inside Our music will… Continue reading
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Old(er): An Epic Journey
Part Two “Eat Life like you’re starving. You may feel full at the end of the day, but damn, it tasted good.” antonio pedro ruiz I remember the moment I touched down at LAX Los Angeles Airport like it was… Continue reading
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A Yankee Baseball Game
My annual tribute to my father, Antonio “Tony” Ruiz. My father never took me to a Yankees game when I was a kid. That was the secret burden of resentment I carried for a long time. At some point before… Continue reading
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I Ain’t No Superman
Man, I can’t catch a break. Hard living. First, my knee replacements. Both knees. Then, my recent brush with life-changing trauma, a stroke. It reminded me of my last body-slamming event: a blocked heart and the pacemaker implanted in my… Continue reading
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Four Months
Today marks four months since my mini-stroke. “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” Joseph Campbell It seems so long ago, but it’s been… Continue reading
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The Great Escape
In a god we trustWhen I was ten years old, as I was praying during Mass performing my duties as an altar boy in the basement church St. Rita of Cascia, kneeling before the raised altar, the gold cross hanging… Continue reading
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Smoke ‘em If You Got ‘em
The first time I saw an American joint was when some guy in the high school gym asked me to pass one along to another guy on the other side of meThat guy seemed awfully anxious to get it like… Continue reading
