A shabby toss out nobody wanted..

The Passing of Philip..from my collection of stories, CITY DITTIES, (2007)

A neighbor, now deceased. Guy we all liked. Who re-invented himself in a profound way.

A shabby toss out nobody wanted..

..in a years-ago rag bin. It caught Ric's eye. For reasons he STILL can't explain, he took and put it in storage. For me to find - decades later..

A stranger. A dryer.

A racist. An ally...and a friendship..

TELESCOPE OF MEMORY: Your Arms, My Arms..

With Cathedral bells adding a spontaneous, yet spot-on background track, a few musings. Given a longshoreman's point of view..

Vivid and unsettling, WATCHBAND remains all the same - a powerful tale.

Note: a short discussion follows the reading.