nexus

(noun): A connection or series of connections linking two or more things

By Paul Clark
(aka motomynd)

On March 28, Michael H. Brownstein published a wonderful account titled “A Lesson in Hats.” It was an entertaining and heartwarming piece about Michael and his son successfully navigating what were apparently some dangerous streets, with the punchline being that it you wore the wrong cap with the brim turned the wrong way, then angry men might beat you senseless with a baseball bat – all because of their mistaken belief you had a gang affiliation they didn’t approve of.
    The article and Michael’s follow-up comments all made for a tender, happy ending – but for some reason the article left me livid. Not angry. Livid. All in all, it was the most visceral reaction I’ve had to anything I’ve read in years.

Coal Country (a vignette)

By Paul Clark (aka motomynd)

In a split second, my friend Buckshot had a knife blade through his hand, all the way through, so that the point was protruding maybe two inches out the back. When that happens on TV, or in the movies, all hell breaks loose. Looking back some 40 years, I still marvel at how everything went into slow motion. Playing it back, I can still see the scene, and what led up to it, almost in stop action, frame by agonizing frame.