Member-only story
Warning: Heavy Lifting
My recent literary fiction you may have missed
It’s been raining in Puerto Rico. Not a lot, but enough to serve as an excuse to stay in my library and write. The older I get (I am now 81), the bolder I get. (Couldn’t resist that one). Or perhaps, the more desperate I get. When you are staring down oblivion (and what octogenarian is not), you tend to try to tie up as many loose ends as possible.
My day, week, year, usually follows a pattern: I dedicate a few hours in the mornings to tending the vegetable or flower garden or beating back the encroaching jungle; early afternoons I spend an hour or two painting in my studio or wandering the property with a camera; late afternoons I kibitz in the kitchen with my wife while preparing dinner; evenings I am hunched over my computer or a book. (Note: I don’t watch TV.)
I’d like to blame the rain, but it is only partly responsible for neglecting my schedule and dedicating so many hours to writing these heavy pieces — even though I know most Medium readers don’t spend more than a few minutes on a story.
The reason is simple, a legacy. Medium — my publishing platform in the past few years — exists in the ephemeral world. My work here (and everyone elses) could evaporate in an instant if someone pulls the plug. Loyalist readers and friends I met here would be…
