October 1990
The Lourdes Of Arizona
In Search Of The Soul Of Psychotherapy
“The mother is already distant from Sarah. Sarah is trying to distance herself from her father, and suicide is the only method she’s discovered so far to do that. But the father told her that if she killed herself, he would kill himself, so she’s even denied a successful death. This family is a violin, with only one string, and it’s a funeral march.”
The Cosmic Airdrome
The power of the false and stupid. Emotional appeals and manipulations, whether in advertising, con games, or religious sects, are always seen by intelligence as duplicitous, hypocritical, pandering. Often the appeal is so obviously false that people seem hypnotized or brainwashed.
Fresh Paint
Father never sold a single painting. He gave them away. He walked the streets in the early morning haze, avoiding crowds and lighted avenues, and handed his work to a face he admired. He never gave his work to anyone he knew, only strangers.
He Thought He’d Died And Gone To Heaven
I turned my head slowly to sneak a look at Mary, Annie, and Millie. They were staring intently at their dominoes, their lips pursed tightly together. It was clear to me that they had not told Ray he was dead.
Four Stories
One day the cocoon hatched. But there was no butterfly. Instead, hundreds and hundreds of baby praying mantes spread across my dresser top and marched down the side.