Marshall

Get a Job

I envy men who have had a profession, men who always wanted to be an actuary or a toll collector on the New Jersey Turnpike. I was born into a military family. My father, both grandfathers, a grandfather’s brother, my brother, three of my cousins, and a brother-in-law were military officers.

Being the Big Kahuna

I held the gavel suspended in mid-air. It was my last meeting as Chair of the St. Petersburg Urban Detritus Society (SPUDS). I held fire on gaveling the annual membership meeting to an end

The Curveball and the Star-Spangled Banner

From the time I waddled out onto the Little League field to settle in behind home plate wearing shin guards, chest protector, and catcher’s mask, I was hooked on baseball

My Father’s Shoes

In my shoeshine box, they will find: two shine brushes (brown, black); two polish brushes (ditto); three cans of polish (cordovan, brown, black); a bottle of saddle soap; and three shine cloths (one filched from the Woodstock Inn in Vermont and one from the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville, VA).

These Boots Are Made For Working

It was the noon hour and at the base of the bridge, in the shadow of the arch, construction men ate their lunches, legs flung out in front, backs against the concrete slab. lunch boxes at their side, empanadas in their hands.