One night, I retired to bed as an unbalanced person. For weeks, a reinvigorated personality was emerging, along with a renewed purpose of being. Thoughts raced and conflicting streams of consciousness tried to ruin the narrative of the transformation of a once broken and lost human being. But as is the case when one truly…

When I awoke early in the morning to briefly relieve myself, I began staring out the window at one of the brightest full moons I’ve ever seen. This activity wasn’t particularly good for my eyes. So, I had to rest them for a few minutes as I recovered from the surprising level of glare on…

In spring, with snow still on the Downeast Maine ground, I pay a visit to the easternmost city in the entire nation. To go any further would mean giving myself up to the ocean. So many memories revolve around this general area, as just a few dozen miles north is where my family spent many…

A version of this essay appears in my essay collection, Cloud Pieces. Long ago, the Roman Senate was the epicenter of imperial governance. It was a swirling vortex of ambition and intrigue. Clad in the trappings of their station, these men of power engaged in ceaseless political maneuvering. Their voices echoed through the Senatorial chambers,…