Category Archives: aging

Why?

Posted on March 27, 2017 by gwpj

Why did these men in black steal my house with all my things in it, saying my house is theirs, that it belonged to their family before it belonged to mine? How could that be, as my great-grandfather Hamid built … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, George Polley, grandmothers, homeless, Jerusalem, Mothers, Palestinians, poem, Prejudice, race, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Old love

Posted on March 18, 2017 by gwpj

How long has it been? Looking back, so much has happened since we met sixty years ago when you were twenty and I was sixteen. We married one year later in the village church, with everyone gathered around — aunts, … Continue reading →

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Taking Leave

Posted on November 7, 2016 by gwpj

  Looking at her first born, she remembered those six long years of wondering if she and her husband would have a child. Perhaps they had tried too hard, as when they stopped trying, her pregnancy stayed, and her son … Continue reading →

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Grandfather

Posted on June 11, 2016 by gwpj

  Your fingers tremble as you lift the fork up to your mouth. Your lips begin to bite the cake long before it reaches them. Your smell is strong with urine, and your clothes, buttons missing, are spotted with food. … Continue reading →

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Small press book fairs, a poem

Posted on July 28, 2015 by gwpj

I participated in several small press book fairs between 1975 and 1979 while a member of the board of the Minneapolis Metropolitan Arts Alliance. For some reason I was never able to understand, small press publishers insisted on holding these … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, Humor, Poetry | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

“Hi there, big boy!”

Posted on July 10, 2015 by gwpj

Her name is Esther. She is eighty-three, has no teeth, and is a burned-out schizophrenic. When I walked into the living room where she was sitting watching TV and called her name, she turned her head, looked up at me … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, Flash fiction, Humor | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Two vignettes

Posted on April 22, 2015 by gwpj

All stories come from life as we live, observe and participate in it. These are two stories among many I’ve come to know over the years, especially the years I spent doing nursing  home consulting. When I was asked several … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, Fiction, George Polley, Mothers | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments