This story arose following a wonderful evening on the streets of Wuhan with the delectable Melody Wang, a princess in the rain.

Two linked haikus about the impact of supermarkets on our self perception - I wrote them just now for a friend who is doing her PHD on the impact of supermarkets.

Her eyes flashed my way and for the first time I knew why I was placed on this Earth. I was made to love her.

Once more Troy kissed his sleeping daddy's cheek. Tonight Troy left "Teddy" curled up with his father.

As a kid I used to ride with my folks in a battered old green Dodge pickup as weathered and dented as it was solid, up craggy Oregon mountains and down pot-holed red dirt roads

My housemate Dirk works hard and late (he earned a literature degree from an Ivy League university before going "crazy" for years) Now he studies computers at the local university

They were smiling and laughing. But when they walked through the door of Mr. Brown's office, my friends knew something was wrong.

Some people would never put up with stuff like this. A scary grandma, creepy brother, and overprotective parents… If my buddies would have heard those words they would've left the girl already.