Walt McDonald

Staying home was easy after the pulling guard faked me wide twice before half, and the tailback cut back and cleated the grass I bulldozed with my nose. I never forgot to hold my breath, not even the first time my father tossed me off the deep end, Sink or swim, he barked, and I sank into his will . . . . Continue Reading »

We prowled that part of the base at midnight,high on crowbars and beer. We smashed car lightsand ripped the chrome off doors. Nothing beatbeing drunk enough to die when bar girls screamedand rockets fell like stars, one moreCadillac dismantled upside down. We sworewhoever owned such cars were . . . . Continue Reading »

A neighbor’s cat ambled by, wetting our sand casually, as natural as lions in the Kalahari marking their range. That cat killed a squirrel, sniffing to be sure it died. We saw her crouched by our porch in a heap of leaves, not really eating. Later, I hauled it off, the dumpster loaded with leaves, . . . . Continue Reading »

Wind chimes ping and tangle on the patio.In gusty winds this wild, sparrow hawks hoverand bob-always the crash of indigohosannas dangling on strings. My wife ties copperto turquoise from deserts, and bits of steelfrom engines I tear down. She strings them alllike laces of babies’ shoes when . . . . Continue Reading »

Oh, look , old Galileo whispered, look, we move . And burning, burning in the sky, the sun stood still. Earth turned and spun and whirled about the ball, but no one else believed. Not then. Take time , my father called, watching our first adopted toddler fall, push up and waddle to my lap. It goes . . . . Continue Reading »