Writer



Writer? she asks. Do you write?

I blush and pull my thumb-worn


copy of Poets & Writers off the

counter, away from the cash


register, and push the video to

her. Well, kind of, I stammer.


I guess you can say that I do.

She smiles, takes the video and


scans it with her Star Wars laser,

across the bar code. Cool movie,


she says, forgetting her last query,

the one that startled me, made me


think about what I do late at night

after a long day drafting briefs or


making court appearances or

consulting with clients about


potential liability, chains of title,

inverse condemnation, environmental


reports, and the like. Yes, I do write

late at night when the day’s ambitions


bounce and swirl in my head, I

should have said without hesitation.


Yes, I write. I’m a writer and I’m

glad you wondered, glad you asked.