Writers' Studio

Nantucket Island never lost electricity,

Though winds swept sand into my eyes and the sea spewed.

It wasn’t the perfect storm, Hurricane Sandy.

Murray’s Liquor was last Main Street store to close surely; 

The pharmacy counter got tipped twenty for food. 

Nantucket Island never lost electricity

Sand bagging the strip was proven unnecessary;

Below the sidewalks well-behaved floodwaters brewed.

It wasn’t the perfect storm, Hurricane Sandy.

Brussels sprout stalk in the fireplace were pretty smelly,

But my best friend insisted firewood should be valued!

Nantucket Island never lost electricity!

A cottage in Madaket was swept into the sea;

Residents weren’t surprised, the owners subdued.

It wasn’t the perfect storm, Hurricane Sandy.

Posting flood photographs on Facebook makes New Jersey

Friends worry about me, while waiting to be rescued.

Nantucket Island never lost electricity;

It wasn’t the perfect storm, Hurricane Sandy.

Climate controlled consumption
Line forms here.
Time released mineral hydration
Now hiring greeters, $12.00 per hour.
Senior speedwalk, Sears to Macys.
Code two to home fashions
Segway security
High school outcasts trying to buy cool
Ancient eyebrow threading
Adolescent courtship in the food court
The great denim event
Misshapen men sipping sodas.
Perfumania
Teen moms push plastic racecar baby strollers
Dial up your dazzle.
Double meat, just add $1.29.

I am the three-dimensional problem represented by the two-dimensional graph. The derivative tells the story of how a function changes as its input changes. The function is why is the narrator. The first derivative of gives velocity, the second acceleration, the third jerk, the fourth jounce.

The derivative of the function at a particular point is equal to the slope of the tangent line. You only need two points to plot a straight line. Now, how to determine the equation of the line? (y = mx + b) B is the y-intercept; the point where the line crosses vertical axis. M is the slope, rise over run. Slippery slope? Slippery brain? Slippery brains fall easily in love. B told me I had a sexy brain. That is the best compliment to a neurobiologist.

Begin with B robing me in terrycloth and brewing fresh coffee. We sat in his air-conditioned garage while he smoked an American Spirit. Inside, B simply handed me a toothbrush. It was shiny and new and he gave me a travel case too. I keep it on my bookshelf.

X gave me a toothbrush last night. He instructed me to leave it on the nightstand on my side of the bed. The plastic and cardboard packaging was misshapen. I teased X about who used the toothbrush. The bristles felt too soft. His brussels sprouts are perfectly soft. X’s been rehearsing this for days, I know. I was sad.

What lies between B and X?

This is only one tangent; there are infinitely many more…