Month: May 2025
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The Haitian Boy
When I first stepped off of the little plane, the blast of tropical heat mixed with the underlying acrid odor of post-earthquake Haiti hit me like a brick wall. I had prepared myself for this but for once the reality was stronger than the anticipation, and a wave of fear went through me as the… Read more
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Grandpa and the Blues Harp
I can’t recall the exact date. The best I can figure, it must have been somewhere around the middle of June back in 1967 or there abouts. I was eight years old at the time, spending the summer months with Granny and Grandpa Tharpe. As I recall it was a pretty morning. The sky was… Read more
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Great Uncle Wilkie’s Light
Let me tell you a bit about my Great Uncle Wilkie. First and foremost though, let me make it clear that he was my great uncle by marriage. If I was blood kin to him, I would never admit it for fear of being banned from proper society. Uncle Wilkie was indeed one of the… Read more
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Having A Smoke With Momma
When I was thirteen years of age, the Rowell clan lived in a couple of single wide mobile homes way out in the woods a few miles outside of Lexington. The older trailer house was for my brother Mike and me, and the newer trailer was for mom and dad and my little sister, Janie.… Read more
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Dear Mom
It has been over twenty five years now since you left us. It seems like yesterday. I remember the last time I saw those emerald green eyes of yours looking into mine. As you drifted off into your final sleep, I hugged you and while looking in those eyes that had watched over me for… Read more