Poodie James

excerpt

“This is city business,” Spanger said. “The mayor of this town
just suggested that I arrest a couple of people when I have nothing
to charge them with. What’s your advice?”
The city attorney looked at Spanger for a second, cleared his
throat and examined a painting.
“My practice is to keep the mayor happy when he wants something.”
“If that’s your advice, tell me what the law says.”
“The law says that every person accused of a crime has the right
to a fair and speedy trial.”
“What does it say about arresting people without grounds?
What does it say about arresting people on suspicion?”
“For instance.”
“For instance, Pete Torgerson wants me to arrest Poodie James
and an old hobo on suspicion of causing that train wreck last
night.”
Swan cleared his throat twice.
“Oh. Oh, my.”
Swan appeared to be memorizing the painting. His throat was
giving him an extraordinary amount of trouble.
“Didn’t I read in the Dispatch that those two rescued the engineer?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, my.”
“Well?” Spanger said.
“Darwin, the mayor must have good reason to give such an
order.”
“I don’t think it’s so good. I think he’s trying to turn the public
against a couple of people who can’t defend themselves so he can
help himself get reelected. But that’s only my opinion. What’s
yours?
“I’m out of my element here” Swan said. “I know the mayor is
concerned about hobos, but—oh, my. I’ll discuss it with the
mayor.”

https://draft2digital.com/book/3562868

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W7SHCMV

The Circle

excerpt

“All set?” Hakim asks.
“As ready as ever,” Talal says.
“How are you, Mom?” Jennifer asks her mother.
“I’m just fine, sweetheart. We’re going on a holiday trip. I’ll be in touch on a
regular basis. There’s a way I can talk to Jennifer every day isn’t there?” she asks
Talal.
“Of course, there is; you can talk to her every day if you like.”
They load their suitcases into the car and in half an hour are at the airport. Talal
and Hakim carry the luggage to be checked in, then they all go to the lounge and
order drinks.
“Don’t forget Ibrahim will have Rassan pick you up. I gave him your flight
number and time of arrival.”
Emily realizes for the first time they’ll be staying with Hakim’s relatives.
“We’re staying with Hakim’s uncle?” she asks.
“Yeah, for a while; you’ll get a chance to see his villa.”
Hakim looks at Jennifer who has drunk her wine quickly; her cheeks are
reddish and she looks a lot more relaxed.
“I see you’re better now!” he jokes with her.
Soon the travelers need to go to their gate as the departure time has arrived;
they walk toward C29, their designated gate. Emily and Jennifer go to the
washroom, so Hakim has the opportunity to talk to Talal about Bevan’s message
and what he needs to find out.
“Relate the message exactly that way to Ibrahim and see what he wants us to
do.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
“Have a good trip and take care of yourself and Emily.”
Hakim hugs Emily, who has come back, and says, “Have a good trip and
enjoy. Give a kiss to my uncle and Auntie Mara. I look forward to hearing about
it all when you get back.”
“Thank you, Hakim; thanks for everything.”
Jennifer hugs and kisses her mother and then Talal.
“Have a good trip and take care of my mom, please,” she says to him.
“Thank you and don’t worry; I’ll make sure Emily has the time of her life on
this trip.”
They walk through the gate while Hakim and Jennifer head back to the car.
Emily and Talal get to their seats in the front of the aircraft, row two, first
class; there are only four passengers in first class and there are twelve seats. Emily is
seated in first class for the first time in her life and so is Talal. They get busy
finding all the functions on the buttons of their seats, which are wide and

https://draft2digital.com/book/3562817

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0978186524

Ken Kirkby – Warrior Painter

excerpt

Just prior to his 20th birthday, Ken strapped his backpack in place
and crossed the river at Coppermine, NWT. He set off across the tundra,
mesmerised by the silent endlessness of the landscape and the unreachable
horizon. With no idea of what lay ahead of him, the young man took only
what he could comfortably carry. That included many rolls of adding
machine tape on which to record his sketches, a collection of pencils and a
knife for sharpening them. He hoped to capture on paper the sights that until
now lived only in his imagination.
Initially, the land itself transfixed him. The ground was hard and
covered with low-lying plants, prickly shrubs and the occasional stand of
stunted willows. It appeared empty of all habitation and there were few
reference points to indicate distance or direction. The most striking thing to
his eye was the 360 degrees of unbroken, blue sky that met the edge of the
horizon like an overturned bowl. The solitude was the balm his broken soul
required.
He fished the river for food and travelled as, and if, the mood took
him. Occasionally he glimpsed other men silhouetted against the sky in the
indefinable distance. It took some days before he realised these people were
not of flesh and bone, but rather precisely piled stones—stark, timeless and
majestic.
I came to learn these beings were called Inukshuk, singular, or when in
a group, Inuksuit. They were as impressive as the Sphinx or Stonehenge.
Constructed of various sized blocks of granite-like stone, they stood on
two legs and varied in size from larger than human-sized, to perhaps
sixteen inches tall. They had no facial features but gave the impression
of being totally aware of their surroundings and they captured my
attention in a powerful way. Years later they became an essential part
of my commercial paintings.
Outside of National Geographic Explorers, not many people have
the opportunity to actually live with and learn from a culture with such
a richness of history, so it was largely good fortune that Ken’s camp was
located in an area visited by a family of Inuit in the course of their seasonal
migration. They were unlike any people he had yet met, and Ken bided his…

https://draft2digital.com/book/3562902

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CB8W4CG

Entropy

Cells
Like the cells of each body
that die and in darkness
they float and talk
cells of an undefined wholeness, we
die without noticing or understanding
while wholeness lives
in our death
moves and breathes
eternal youth of an odyssey.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPCRLJC6