the grocery clerk who
bags my things
the coffee man
who sometimes sings
postman, gardener, neighbors too
greeting me with
how are you?
all the lovely people
who lift me on my way
their nods, their smiles, their greetings
that brighten up each day
and as I lay my head to rest
my heart full, I must confess
my simple life
is richly blessed
tio stib
Okay, I’ve finally published the ebook and paperback versions of my latest book, “The Resurrection of Puerto Cielo.” Thanks to my talented designer friend, Eric Savage, I’ve heard it has quite a dazzling cover. I hope you find the story equally entertaining. the book is available on Amazon, here’s the scoop
Esperanza Diaz, frustrated single mom and failed big city journalist, retreats home in hopes of saving her family and salvaging her career. But Puerto Cielo, the idyllic Baja beach town she grew up in, is being run by a gang of thugs and her father, editor of the local paper, is off on a drunk.
Ricky Ruiz has also fled the big city, but he can’t escape his mob family past. Known as el Tiburon, “the Shark,” Ricky has become the reluctant head of a bunch of bungling bullies as he struggles to father a daughter who lost her mother to a gangland murder.
Meet Manny and Maria, two rebellious teenagers who find themselves fighting for a town neither wanted to be in, The Zorros, a bunch of bike riding kids out to make their world better, and Sheriff Eddie, a man who has the only job he ever wanted but now must find the courage to stand for what is right.
Discover the Bernie brothers, the town’s unlikely millionaires, Lazy and Arnold, two dogs with noses for trouble, and Mama G’s Restaurant, where you can get anything you want but hamburgers and french fries.
who is sending the mystery letters exposing city government corruption? Who is the menacing giant who comes to town and never speaks a word? will Max eat Arnold? Will captain Hook have the last laugh?
The Resurrection of Puerto Cielo is a story about courage, about resilience, about the power of community united for the common good, a story spilling over with smiles and surprises. “The Resurrection of Puerto Cielo”
Link to Amazon
Enjoy! Please let me know what you think.
tio stib
get organized
be disciplined
keep marching on
this is how you get things done
don’t wait
don’t stop
don’t pause for breath
for failure would be certain death
it takes hard work and lots of sweat
to reach the goals that we have set
but let’s skip all the hocus-pocus
because you, too, may hav noticed
that when the race is finally run
this kind of stuff just isn’t fun
tio stib
George Carlin, bless his brilliant and irreverent mind, has moved on to the great comedy stage in the sky, but he leaves many laughs behind him. I think his piece on “Life in Reverse” is all-time hilarious. Wouldn’t it be great if life actually worked this way-
tio stib
Life in reverse By George Carlin
In my next life I want to live my life backwards.
You start out dead and get that out of the way.
Then you wake up in an old people’s home
feeling better every day.
You get kicked out for being too healthy,
go collect your pension,
and then when you start work,
you get a gold watch and a party on your first day.
You work 40 years
until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement.
You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous,
then you are ready for high school.
You then go to primary school,
you become a kid,
you play.
You have no responsibilities,
you become a baby until you are born.
And then you spend your last 9 months
floating in luxurious spa-like conditions
with central heating and room service on tap,
larger quarters every day and then Voila!
You finish off as an orgasm.
I rest my case.
George Carlin, 1937-2008
there are moments when
I dream in peace
a mind released to roam
then others when
the clock grinds on
and night becomes a tomb
I lay now in eternal night
awaiting mindless deep
a craving need to somehow get
a decent hour’s sleep
tio stib
2015, 2018, 2025
Some are vanilla,
predictably plain
Dependably true
always the same
Some are exotic
quixotic
sherbets with fireworks lives
occasionally glancing
to check others’ eyes
then the specials
like bubblegum treat
wildly different
sumptuous sweets
Yes, chocolate, strawberry,
and rocky road too
friends of all flavors
some licked and
some chewed
like ice cream
I taste them
each one of a kind
then off on their way
they melt in my mind
Yet over the years
a few friends remain
these flavors I savor
again
and again
tio stib,
2014, 2016, 2018, 2025
it was a trip mistaken
for a family vacation
a time so cold
my bones grew old
bundled up in layers of clothes
all that showed, my bright red nose
even when I went to bed
I never shed a single thread
I wonder how eskimos have sex
queried my now recent ex
pounds of fat fell off of me
as I shivered constantly
take a shower?
I think not
in water that was icy hot
and when at night I had to pee
a new resolve came over me
as toes touched the icy floor
I hurtled towards the bathroom door
and in a fit of urgency
dropped my shorts
but woe to me
the thing that used to flow so free
had shrunk down to
a tiny pea
and so it went from day to night
with not a hint of warmth in sight
until we had to say goodbye
a moment when I nearly cried
afflicted now with freezer phobia
I bid adieu,
God Bless
Hotel Hypothermia
tio stib
there are dreams
and there are fantasies
possibilities vs. delusions
but what is the difference
in the beginning, perhaps nothing
but somewhere along the way
you begin to hear a voice
a stirring
a thought
a question?
and, if you stop
and pay attention
the voice gets louder
until finally
you open your mind and there it is
the sign in front of your life
Fantasyland is closed today
tio stib
damn sick, you know, that awful flu
slipped and fell on doggy do
triple booked, what could I do
have you met the new guy, Lew
slipped out to sip a little brew
Giants lost, the Seahawks too
burned the Sunday evening stew
blame it on my low I.Q.
what’s with all the ballyhoo
just what did I promise you
really
what else is new
tio stib
2017, 2018, 2025
He asked my thoughts on politics
but before my mouth could move
he stormed ahead with words of dread
drowning out the room
and on he roared, a raging flood
I chose to bide my time
for it was plain enough to hear
I couldn’t change his mind
no reasoned fact, no cautious note
no plea for honesty
was going to change this zealot’s fears
about humanity
I smiled and offered my goodbye
I scarcely think he heard
for he was talking to himself
since no one else concurred
a sad day for democracy
sad for humankind
when we fail to listen with respect
for want of open minds
tio stib,
2017, 2018, 2025
