William Lobb's Blog, page 23

Writing Prompts

He wakes up early, squinting at sunlight raging through grimy windows and ripped white curtains, yellowed from years bathed in cigarette smoke. The room was cold, the sticky sweat of summer faded too quickly to this frigid morning. He reached down to the floor, found yesterday’s shirt, still buttoned halfway down, and pulled it on […]

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Writing Prompts

He wakes up early, squinting at sunlight raging through grimy windows and ripped white curtains, yellowed from years bathed in cigarette smoke. The room was cold, the sticky sweat of summer faded too quickly to this frigid morning. He reached down to the floor, found yesterday’s shirt, still buttoned halfway down, and pulled it on […]

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Twenty Five Years

I’ve looked forward to this day for 25 years. Never sure I’d see it. To be honest, on October 28, 1993 I wasn’t sure I’d see October 29th, let alone 25 years. I’d had a disturbing phone call the night before. My doctor, a friend, and drinking buddy, called me. He simply said, “Bill, your […]

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The Caravan

I know this kid named Oz. He’s from Honduras. One of the finest young men I’ve ever known. A good, solid, honest and decent and trustworthy man. At one point in his life he was “illegal,” he’s now a proud American citizen . My friend Carlos, he was illegal too, he’s been a citizen since […]

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I know this kid named Oz. He’s from Honduras. One of the ...

I know this kid named Oz. He’s from Honduras. One of the finest young men I’ve ever known. A good, solid, honest and decent and trustworthy man. At one point in his life he was “illegal,” he’s now a proud American citizen . My friend Carlos, he was illegal too, he’s been a citizen since […]

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Opening to Book III – still playing with a title

“The mountain is quieter now. I don’t think a lot of people alive today would care about all that commotion back in the day. We was runners, makin’ shine, my whole family, all our kin. Big business during prohibition. I heard all the stories. We was some mean-ass crazy bastards. It was all about runnin’ […]

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Songs From a Nursing Home

A cappella hymns, sung with conviction. Ancient lips, stumbling on every other word. Trusted words betrayed by confounded eyes. An ocean of hands waving high, each to its own lost beat, grasping at empty sky. Wailing to a silent and distant God. Singing The Old Rugged Cross and What A Friend We Have In Jesus. […]

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The fight, and the years…

You play golf and baseball and basketball. You play tennis. You play football and soccer. You don’t play boxing. You fight. You win or you lose. You break bones. You bleed. It’s really that simple. Watching the young men in the gym now. The grunts, the deep thud of thick gloves on heavy bags. I […]

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Remembering Fear and Terror

What I remember most about 9/11/2001 is fear. Everyone was in shock and afraid. I was at a tech expo that afternoon. We all stood around waiting for the next wave. About an hour in we all decided we should be home with our families, not some marketing event. My friend Rich Long was at […]

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Snakes, Quicksand, School

When the cowboy movies came to the Paramount Theater, for a Saturday afternoon at least, we could put away our unending and always present fear of slow death by snakebite or quicksand and just be boys. Death was always imminent during boyhood. The likelihood of surviving to teenage years was terrifyingly small. Most didn’t, we […]

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