“Words” by me
Ponder this old sayingLife is a bowl of cherriesDoes it not instill thoughts of pristine, gleaming fruitBut the top sparkling layerThese hide the rotting, spoiling bottomTruth of the bowlLife is A Bowl of Cherries(Rotted and Full of Worms)2026
As a small child, I was told that when I grew up, I would be a preacher. One of those who stands in the pulpitAnd screams for twenty minutes, A true man of God.My Dad would introduce me by saying, “This is my son Roy, tell them what you’re gonna be when you grow up.”I… Read More When I Grow Up
Kitty corner from my childhood home Stood, with faded and peeling paint A gloomy red building Jo Lums Chinese RestaurantWe never, EVER ate there Not that we ate Chinese at all Even with its close proximity We still never ventured thereThe spicy smell of its kitchen The rotting stink of its dumpster Would waft our… Read More Jo Lums
Terror and fearForm in my mindAs I recall my earliest memoryChristmas at Grandmother EdmondsA yule time of cussing and fightingCould be had by all.Dad, after a few beersHas glazed eyes with a grimaceHe has checked out.Mother holding back tears.Wringing her handsMuttering words of hope.Grandmother fussing,Lecturing all on proper etiquetteCalling God’s wrath down on allGrandfather, ready… Read More First Memory
I’m so TIREDSixty-plus years of adulting has me just TUCKERED ME OUTWhy do I have to make decisions?Be the responsible one?I’m so EXHAUSTEDOf always doing the right thingWhy can’t life just gently kiss my assAnd bother somebody else?I am WORN TO A FRAZZLELooking out for othersWhat about me?Hey over here! I EXIST!ZonkedFinishedDepleted2026
KendallIt started with a hectic, mad dash southTo a frustrating city with no vacanciesBut oh, the outcome was so sweetA bright-eyed, beautiful baby girlThe last bundle of joyTo grace our familyYou made us complete,Like placing that last piece in the puzzle.Life, like it is known to do,Handed you your own peculiar playlistWhich you have mastered… Read More Kendall
This weeks book has no ties to Flint, other than the fact its author, a Fulbright Scholar, John Stephen Ellis is a Professor of History at the University of Michigan-Flint. In this 2016 biography, Owen Rhoscomyl (part of the “Writers of Wales” series by the University of Wales Press), John S. Ellis provides a literary… Read More Owen Rhoscomyl by John S Ellis – Flint Book of the Week
This historical account traces the Garland Street Literary Club, one of Flint, Michigan’s oldest continuous women’s organizations, from its founding in 1888 through its first 100 years. The book recounts how seven women—wives of prominent local figures—began meeting in a home on Garland Street with the goal of intellectual self-improvement, research, and discussion rather than… Read More And Fellow Members: A History of the Garland Street Literary Club of Flint, Michigan, 1888–1988 by Alice Lethbridge – Flint Book of the Week
Published in 1985 by the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Flint, Inc.. Softcover with a limited printing.The book is a biography profile of Joseph Ryder, a figure known as “one of the first national leaders of the Big Brothers movement.”The work provides firsthand accounts, organizational history, and personal reflections on Joseph Ryder’s role in shaping… Read More JOE RYDER by PHILIP J. BRAUN – Flint Book of the Week
Off Balance is a collection of approximately 175 true courtroom anecdotes drawn from the decades-long legal and judicial career of Judge John L. Conover. Co-written with his wife, Karen D. Conover, the book blends humor, introspective commentary, and a candid look at the unpredictable reality of life inside district courtrooms.The book recounts a wide spectrum… Read More Off Balance by John L. Conover – Flint Book of the Week
Ramblings of an Old Coot 