WordsYouCanTouch.com

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TITLES APPEAR IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL  ORDER.

CLICK ON THE LINKS SHOWN BELOW TIES & ABOVE PREVIEW BOXES TO SEE POSTS.

 

“Aftermath: Night #316”  –  January 27, 2026  (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2026/01/27/aftermath-night-316-republic-of-vietnam/
This poem placed second nationally at the 2025 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in the category: Rhyming Poetry – Military Experience.

(Darkness. His back to the wall.
No windows, no way to see outside.
A set of wooden steps leading up to . . .
their only way in  . . .  and his only way out.)

–

“The Captivating Courtship of Bouncy Ms. Red and Old Gentleman Ted
(Caution: It’s Bawdy !  So Gaudy !)”   –  January 26, 2026   (Fiction/Humor)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2026/01/26/the-captivating-courtship-of-bouncy-ms-red-and-old-gentleman-ted-caution-its-bawdy-so-gaudy/

“A lifelong bachelor living a solitary life, Ted D awoke just days away from quietly celebrating his 70th birthday. He planned to observe the occasion by spending a leisurely Saturday at home, alone. He would devour an entire chocolate cheesecake for breakfast, watch some Giants baseball on TV, then stream his boyhood favorite, Roy Rogers, in “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” Might get a generous dose of the lovely Dale Evans as well. Sweet deal. Six days away.”

–

“An Unforgiving Foe”  –  January 25, 2026  (Memoir)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2026/01/25/an-unforgiving-foe/

“I am now in my 42nd year of a relentless, punishing onslaught from the Terror, an invisible, sinister scourge that leaves silent scars. It rips my gut and punches my brain senseless with lefts and rights and teeth-rattling uppercuts that I know are coming, yet am unable to repel.”

–

“Moldsters in Mannville”  –  January 25, 2026  (Humor)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2026/01/25/moldsters

“At Big Brad’s Doughnut Diner, in Mannville, Vermont, three old men – Oliver, Stan, and Bruce – settled into their usual corner booth on a rainy Saturday morning. They began yappin’’ about geezer stuff right in front of a handsome stranger whose first name rhymes with Maine, Spain, and Jane.”             

_

“As the Emerald Tiger Died”  – January 24, 2026  (Narrative)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2026/01/24/as-the-emerald-tiger-died/

“​At 19, he had been impressionable, naive, and in the wrong place at the wrong time. Five years later, when we first met at a small, country college, he had ripened into a full-grown man who harbored a boyish obsession with “lions and tigers” and the witches and wonders of Oz.”

–

“Lines From Lake Laeren” – December 27, 2025  (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2025/12/27/lines-from-lake-laeryn/

“She glances at the living room mirror to see if she’s still glowing. She is. In the soft candlelight, she sees a maiden fair, looking sweet but strong, innocent yet seductive. She nods, winking playfully at her reflection. “Yeah, baby.”

–

“My Misplaced Life”  –  January 1, 2025  (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2025/01/01/my-misplaced-life/

“On this blackest of nights, in this desolate cottage,
my emotions flare, my pulse races, and the sharp
blade of regret cuts deeply, ripping me to my core.”

–

“Bar Belles & Dumbbells”  – October 14, 2024  (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2024/10/14/bar-belles-dumbbells/

“The liberal arts grads met in mid- December of 2013, when they began work as rookie hostesses at Red’s SawxHouse. The setting was a bizarre blend of an urban, urbane, baseball-themed cocktail lounge at street level, and a roadhouse-type bar venue, with a vipers’ den vibe, occupying the basement.”

–

“Let Us Fill HourGlasses with Love” –  February 14, 2024  (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2024/02/14/let-us-fill-hourglasses-with-love/

“Lassie Lynn and Aladdin Finn
met years ago in the park
at the end of the road . . .”

–

“Till the Flames Burn No More”  –  January 14, 2024  (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2024/01/14/till-the-flames-burn-no-more/

“it surrounds him .  .  . then daybreak comes , the shadows fade, some faster than others, but all, and soon, at last .  .  . daylight hours bring sleep, relief, time to plan, prepare, persevere, before the the next round descends as the sun dutifully drops, and the treacherous trek begins anew,”

–

“The Bitter Taste of Suite Deceit”  –  December 28, 2023  (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2023/12/28/the-bitter-taste-of-suite-deceit/

“It was almost 9:00 PM by the time Hannah Gray and Gary Glidden checked into the Commerce Hotel, in downtown San Antonio, on Thanksgiving Eve. Holiday traffic from Austin had been heavy, and their late arrival had already delayed the secretive session of privately-owned Harrison Foods’ nine-member Board of Directors.”

–

“No Caterwauling Aloud !” – December 11, 2023  (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2023/12/11/no-caterwauling-aloud/

“Writer’s Note:  This poem was written as an entry in an international publication’s 2023 annual poetry competition. All entries had to respond to a unique, one-word, all-caps, exclamatory prompt, which just happened to be “LOUD!” this year.  “LOUD!” – hmm, where should I go with this?”

–

“Hey, I’m Talkin’ Baloney and “Monk”-y Business Here”  –  August 25, 2023  (Humor/Social Commentary)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2023/08/25/hey-im-talkin-baloney-and-monk-y-business-here/

“Writer’s Opening Note:
The following wordstorm is the combined result of overdosing on “Monk” episodes, inadvertently being exposed to 20 minutes of Larry the Cable Guy on a SiriusXM comedy channel while going for groceries, and trying to carry on a freewheeling conversation with myself using an accent – all in a 36-hour period.”

–

“Their Youngest Kid”  –  August 18, 2023   (Musings)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2023/08/18/their-youngest-kid/

“Their youngest kid, fifteen and fickle, wanted a drum for Christmas in 1963, a drum that they knew would make them edgy, drive them crazy. He said any kind would do and promised he would learn how to play. The old man heard that . . . “

–

“Lizzi, With an Eye”  –  August 11, 2023   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2023/08/11/lizzi-with-an-eye/

“Three men walked into a Barlow’s hardware store, bought survival knives, a compass, and a first aid kit, then drove north toward the White Mountains of New Hampshire on a raw, misty October morning. Their plan for the day was to breathe a lot of clean, country air, explore nature amid . . .”

–

“Adorin’ Van Doren”   –   August 5, 2023   (Musings)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2023/08/05/adorin-van-doren/

“The tables were all diagonal to the stage, thus two of the chairs could be strategically slid, from adjacent sides, to that point where the table abutted the stage. Eventually, and amazingly, the Lady parked herself directly in front of my stage-touching chair after she blew out the birthday candles and announced the song was about always doing things her way.”

–

“Long Night on Willow Road  –  July 28, 2023  (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2023/07/28/long-night-on-willow-road/


“December 13, 1960

–

“WordSleeves”  –  January 31, 2023  (15 prompt poems)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2023/01/31/wordsleeves/

“Unlike the picturesque SnowSleeves of Winter, the poetic pieces constituting WordSleeves did not arrive, nor will take their leave, with the whim of the weather. They are for all seasons; responses to a series of unrelated creative writing “prompts” in 2020 and 2021.”

–

“Three Times Sadness”  –  December 27, 2022  (Non-Fiction/Personal)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2022/12/27/three-times-sadness/

“In the early evening of December 26th, 1970, at a small Army camp across the road from the Marine helicopter facility at Marble Mountain, just south of DaNang, five of us were kicking back . . .”

–

“Billy Ray King Takes a Wife”  –  November 27, 2022  (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2022/11/27/billy-ray-king-takes-a-wife/

“Are you still there? Are you okay?
Do you rue the day? Have you gone astray?
Do you have someone to light your way?”

–

“October 7th, Lisbon, Maine”  –  October 28,2022 (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2022/10/28/october-7th-lisbon-maine/

“On the 40th anniversary of a fatal fire at his parents’ house, Patrick Simon knelt at gravesite #39 in a small cemetery that slumbers in silence on a lightly-traveled country lane skirting Lisbon, Maine . . .”

 

“Mae King, Out at The Kabb Inn”  –  July 14, 2022   (Fiction)
The zany full-length version, with extensive “rest-of-the-story” Writer’s Notes.
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2022/07/14/mae-king-out-at-the-kabb-inn/

“Roger Kabb acquired 51% ownership of the Duck Inn & Cabins in Lake Delford, FL, in the summer of 1989, after incessant urging from his live-in companion and business advisor, Madelyn “Mae” King, who took ownership of the remaining 49%, despite the fact that the transaction was fully funded by  . . .”

–

“Minnie Smart’s Mini-Mart”  –  July 5, 2022   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2022/07/05/minnie-smarts-mini-mart/

“Grabbed bread and milk and some orange juice
and asked for a six-pack of bananas for the road
but Minnie snorted and said a no-use recluse
should stay out of sight, not leave his abode . . .”

–

“Incoming”  –  February 22, 2022   (Poetry/Personal)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2022/02/22/incoming/

“Fear
cannot
be ignored.
It mauls my mind
and torments my soul . . .”

–

“Mae King, Out at The Kabb Inn” – Mensa Bulletin magazine, January, 2022
Edited-down version to meet space limitations. Direct link to story in magazine:
https://www.us.mensa.org/read/bulletin/features/mae-king-out-at-the-kabb-inn/

–

“A Bit Bizarre”– January 13, 2022   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2022/01/13/a-bit-bizarre/

“Though none were inclined to agree, the brash braggart boasted he’d be
a man in command; leading the band, living his life so high and so grand.
A weed devotee, at eighteen he was free, to chill and get stoned by the sea . . .”

–

“The Marshmallow Kid”  –  January 5, 2022   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2022/01/05/the-marshmallow-kid/

“September 3, 1958 – first day of school.

Three hundred youngsters, grades 2 through 8, were sizing up the 27 transfer students in their respective classes, an annual appraisal exercise that was silly and superficial on its surface, but for those being assessed, it was an inevitable rite of passage that . . .”

–

“Safe in Our Homes”  –  September 1, 2021   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2021/09/01/safe-in-our-homes/

“One
they were,
unbroken.
Dark-dazed, dismayed,
enshrouded in haze,
these lionhearts emerged
as shadows from the rubble . . .”

–

“The Untimely Loss of Lisa Girl”  –  July 17, 2021   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2021/07/17/the-untimely-loss-of-lisa-girl/

“What did Dickens really know about the best of times?
He wasn’t there when I shared Rolos and raindrops, lemonade and laughter, with high-spirited Lisa of auburn hair and evergreen eyes and silken skin, of winsome winks and guilty grins and “love you too”s.
He wasn’t there through ice cream days on Boston Common and campfire nights in New Hampshire forests of pine and balsam and birch, where lurking hugs and lightning bugs danced around the Muse . . .”

–

“Said the Lad to the Lady”  –  June 27, 2021   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2021/06/27/said-the-lad-to-the-lady/

“May 17, 1811, City of Leeds, England

Dearest Elise, the blue in my skies,
I bring to you this birthday surprise.
It’s neither silver nor gold,
but this day I’ve been told
it will bring tears to your emerald eyes . . .”

–

The Tory Story”  – June 24, 2021   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2021/06/24/the-tory-story/

“The Tories live in the UK.
The Torys, however, live in Sunsett, a hybrid town in southern Merrimack County, New Hampshire. They are average people who live average lives. They go about those lives relatively unnoticed, like those very small dents near the rear wheel-well in an otherwise flawless new automobile . . .”

–

“Five First Encounters  (1972-2002)”  –  June 12, 2021   (Medley)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2021/06/12/five-first-encounters-1972-2002/

“Bought
a bus
ticket to
San Francisco
on a Winter morn,
nineteen seventy-two . . .”

–

“A Long Time After the Echoes End”  –  April 25, 2021   (Musings)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2021/04/25/a-long-time-after-the-echoes-end/

“Aloft and alone on the imposing rock ledge, enraptured by the panorama of Fall color that spread from here to there along my line of sight, I immersed myself in the seamless serenity of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. I had been reflecting on recent tumultuous times that had blurred the boundary between the end of youth and the beginning of real life . . .”

–

“Sammy in the Summer of ’59”  – March 23, 2021   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2021/03/23/sammy-in-the-summer-of-59/

“CRACK !!
The sound of a Louisville Slugger ripping the crap out of a grass-stained official Novice League baseball was followed quickly by loud, anxious shouts aimed in his direction. Not so much from spectators in the bleachers because there were only 17 spectators and no bleachers, but . . .”

–

“The Kids of St. John’s”  –  March 7, 2021   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2021/03/07/the-kids-of-st-johns/

“From nineteen fifty-four through nineteen sixty-two,
we roamed those halls, and that schoolyard too.
Some years a lay teacher, but most with a nun,
some years a split class, but all remained one.
As we grew up together, we lived by one rule . . .”

–

“March 15th at Mary’s Motel”  –  February 26, 2021   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2021/02/26/march-15th-at-marys-motel/

“Mary’s Motel is a lackluster, lemon chiffon 11-unit bargain basement lodging establishment that sits at the edge of a small, stagnant pond on the west end of Sundown Road, known to the locals in Sharonsburg, Maryland, as “Roman Road” – because the only way tourists find it is if they are roamin’ around looking for a place to snap photographs they can show to friends back home . . .”

–

“Colonial Matinee: Concession Confession”   –  September 7, 2020   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2020/09/07/colonial-matinee-concession-confession/

“Summer of 1962. For me, the long pause between the 8th grade and the 9th grade. There was this black-haired, doe-eyed female who lived a couple of streets over. She was two years older and 3 inches taller than me and I had seen her use a long left hook to make a guy’s nose bleed at Opechee Park. But on this Sunday afternoon . . .”

–

“In Gnames  and Ledgens”  –  August 28, 2020  (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2020/08/28/in-gnames-and-ledgens/

“Nothing of note happened in the valley town of Gnames on October 10, 1961. But thirty miles west, at the fancy new hospital in Delfeye, a liberated little girl was delivered into the world By Hephera “Heffie” and Zachary “Zeus” Drillings. In truth, a doctor delivered the kid – Heffie just pushed when told to. Her dazed hubby sweated whiskey and water droplets onto . . .”

–

“In Search of Found”   –  June 6, 2020   (Musings)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2020/06/06/in-search-of-found/

“No small endeavor, this –
defining the word “found” in terms of my own life’s experience
using exactly 50 letters, no more, no fewer . . .”

–

“The Old Man at the Grocery Store”  –   April 24, 2020   (Musings/Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2020/04/24/the-old-man-at-the-grocery-store/

“I went to Market Basket on Wednesday for the first time in a month.
And I learned something about myself at age 71.

I can dance!

Judging by the nearly-full parking lot, I was hesitant to enter because it didn’t seem possible to observe the six-foot distancing thing, but I needed some stuff to eat . . .”

–

“Ode to the Widow Franklin” –  February 23, 2020   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2020/02/23/ode-to-the-widow-franklin/

“A learned yet awkward soul seemed he.
Never seen with a smile, never seen with a frown.
New to “The Rivers” in May of Eighteen Sixty,
with shoulders so broad and eyes so brown . . .”

–

“Lew Louis in Apt. 12”  –  August 11, 2019   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2019/08/11/lew-louis-in-apt-12/

“Second floor. Old guy. Moved in about two months ago. Keeps to himself. Aloof and distant.

Grunts when someone says hello if they cross paths when he goes downstairs for his mail or takes his trash out to the dumpster. Slight of build, appears pale and gaunt, thick glasses, long hair but clean-shaven. Wears a belt with a large brass buckle that reads, “GUS” . . .”

–

“In Remembrance: Three Lines of Fifteen”   –  July 10, 2019   (Musings)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2019/07/10/in-remembrance-three-lines-of-fifteen/

“It seemed so simple, such an easy task.

Clear, concise, with no questions to ask.

Leave them a message, let it be read.

Let them know. that I’ll never be dead . . .”

–

“The Thread on Her Head”  –  March 31, 2019   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2019/03/31/the-thread-on-her-head/

“May 8, 2016.

At a lively gathering of seventeen of her friends, Emma acknowledged their best wishes on her birthday with a proud announcement: “Yes, at 75, I am finally officially ‘old’ and pretty certain I’m still a woman. But I am NOT an old woman – and I’ll thrash the bejeezus out of any one of ya who says I am.” She winked and smiled, then sat her old ass down . “

–

“A Kiss at Fifteen”  – March 16, 2019   (Fiction)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2019/03/16/a-kiss-at-fifteen/

“Nancy was her name. Not a good omen. His eighth-grade girlfriend had been a Nancy and she had broken his heart, her head turned by the quintessential older man – a 16-year-old with his own car.

Now 16 himself (though without a car), he knew instinctively this Nancy was different. She was a younger woman (15) from the poorest of families and lived in “that” neighborhood. It seemed like she had just a few outfits for school, including a couple of ill-fitting blouses and faded, dark-colored skirts often adorned with lint and loose threads . . .”

–

“Rest-cue: Sense the Silence”  –  July 20, 2018   (Poetic Image)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2018/07/30/rest-cue-sense-the-silence/

–

“And Here’s to the Dawn of Their Days . . .”     – June 25, 2018 (Musings)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2018/06/25/and-heres-to-the-dawn-of-their-days-sweet-sir-galahad-joan-baez-1969/

“You did not dedicate this book to the likes of me. Nevertheless, it guided my path, made me strong, brought me home. I read it on the plane ride over, and again on the plane ride back. The former with apprehension, the latter with gratitude. Sometimes in our journey, we bless the unintended. As you did for me.”

–

“The Bumper-to-Bumper Blues” – April 19, 2018   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2018/04/19/the-bumper-to-bumper-blues/

“Out of the office, into my car;
four miles from home, not very far.
At the turn of the key, the engine’s alive;
the clock lights up, it reads 5:05.
Into reverse, backing out of my space;
workday is done, getting out of this place . . .”

–

“Eventide on the Granite Coast” – March 27, 2018   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2018/03/27/eventide-on-the-granite-coast/

“Settling onto the smooth surface of the rock nearest the edge,
I took my rest in the sheltering shadows of those who came before;
seeking answers in the splashing symphony of the Emergent Sea.

Northeast winds gathered and guided the sun-glistened swells,
adorning the vibrant waters with brilliant diamond sparkles
not unlike those that danced across her eyes at touching time . . . “

–

“A Day at the Dam, Summer, 2017, Franklin, New Hampshire” – January 31, 2018   (Musings)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2018/01/31/a-day-at-the-dam-summer-2017-franklin-new-hampshire/

“Her: “It’s so beautiful here … and quiet.”
Him: “Yep.”
Her: “Whose car is this?”
Him: “It’s a Veloster, baby.”
Her: “Whose Veloster is this?”

–

“ired, I Said”. – September 15, 2017   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2017/09/15/ired-i-said/

“Fired he said, you’re fired he said,
so drop what you’re doing and clean out your desk
and be gone by noon without disturbing the others
with shallow goodbyes and stuff like that because you’re f ired, he said . . .”

–

“The Gray Two-Story Across From the Park”  –  August 28, 2017   (Poetry)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2017/08/28/the-gray-two-story-across-from-the-park/

“A Home Becomes a House Again:

The last boxes of this and that have been laid to rest
in quiet scattered solitude on the hardwood floor,
awaiting only a lift from the mayflower man . . .”

–

“Maybe Just One Thing” – August 22, 2017   (Musings)
https://wordsyoucantouch.com/2017/08/22/maybe-just-one-thing/

“I have had few good days of late.