What is the meaning of the expression "God's Will?" To an Attorney it may be quite different than to others. An Attorney sitting in his office, get's a new client, wanting a will. He's done thousands of wills, but never did he imagine writing "God's Will." The first thing that comes to my mind is "why does God need a will, and what else is troubling him? Why do the ultra-religious often portray God as vengeful? I have never been a particularly religious, but if I were, I would believe that God wasn't vengeful, but understood human frailties and had a sense of humor. In "God's Will" I tried to portray such a God. Having gotten tired of hearing that it was "God's will," every time that there is a school yard massacre, I thought to myself, "if this is God's will, I prefer to be disinherited." From that was born the story of "God's will." Since no person can honestly say whether God created man or man created God, my interpretation is as valid as anybody else's interpretation. The God that I would create would have a sense of humor. He or she would be forgiving and not vengeful. As I was writing two images were in my head, Mel Brooks as the 2000-year-old man, and my father. When you finish reading ask yourself one question; "Is it God or is it a man dreaming about having a conversation with his late father, who he dearly misses?" To be frank, I don't know the answer. ******************************* "The War Between the States" was a small chapter in a political satire that I had been working on, but abandoned because it was becoming less satire and more reality. ****************************** "Of Donkeys and Elephants," is a continuous project that our elected officials are keen forcing me to expand. ****************************** "Smendrick, Shlimazal, Schlock and Schlimeil" and "Five-Two 0 Three" are nothing more fun. They have no particular meaning. ****************************** A Guy walks into a bar, is based upon a rumored law in the state of Minnesota that it is illegal to cross the state line with a Duck on your head. A little research determined that this was just an internet rumor, but it made for a good story. ******************************************** I love words, and "Druthers," "Thesaurus Rex" "Curmudgeon" all reflect that. ********************************************* "A Fond Farewell" is a series of more unconventional "story poems." When I use the word "Unconventional," I mean unconventional for me. What makes these different, is that there is no intended humor. This was an experiment. I wanted to create a fictional town, and introduce the citizens through their eulogies. The people are good, evil, funny, insecure. They are all human. The speaker pulls no punches. Don't try to figure out who each story is about. Although there are certain characteristics drawn from people that I have known, all of the eulogies are about completely fictional people. **************************************** "Milton will take you to the Hilton," eventually ********************************************* Finally, "Houston, we have a Problem" was a class assignment in a creative writing class. The assignment was write about people going to a therapist that they didn't realize was crazy. I hope that you enjoy this.