An Unfinished House

I saw Lauro recently - I went visiting in the last week of December and into the first of January. I saw him the first night I arrived. He was loping down the dirt road that runs to my home there; a nonchalant gait, directionless and purposeless. He didn't know that I had arrived in the community, otherwise he wouldn't have been so conspicuous. I was huddled around an old rusting truck talking with Sergio and a few others and when I saw him coming, I hid. As he passed by I lept out at him, grabbed him and pulled him close. He smiled, twisted out of my arms and ran away. I let him go without protest. I knew he appreciated the gesture and loathed what he perceived to be the public embarrassment of it all. He stayed on our periphery the rest of the night though; making wide arcs around us and listening in on our conversation but not coming close enough to be engaged or worse yet, hugged. I spent the night at Duke's house as it was too late to catch a taxi and the next mornin...

It's been bitterly cold here as of late; though as I write this the mercury is steadily rising and promises to climax near 60 by Wednesday. Regardless, last week was downright Siberian in terms of weather and feel and our beloved Susquehanna River froze over just to prove it. This past Saturday, on a whim we decided to test the ice.    Standing in the middle of the river looking east towards the new Arch Street Bridge.    I sent the boys on ahead just to make sure the ice would indeed hold us.    When Bryce didn't crash through the ice we knew it was probably safe to go gallavanting.    And so I followed on behind, ever-cautious and listening for that ominous popping sound in the ice.    To be honest, it was the first that I had ever been on the Susquehanna when it was frozen solid and I was duly impressed by the splendor and majesty of the snow-covered river set against the snow-covered mou...

From this: To this: Just doesn't seem right.