Inescapable Cruelty Engine
In an age of infinite feeds and instant certainty, outrage moves faster than understanding. This piece explores how belief shapes perception, how spectacle replaces empathy, and how we find ourselves entangled—again and again—in a system that rewards reaction while tragedy persists.
Langan’s on 47th
A brief moment before a Broadway show, a corner seat at a Manhattan bar, and a stranger who reminded us that some places still resist walls. Langan’s on 47th is a small reflection on openness, shared space, and the quiet human grace that can surface when we least expect it.
Wonderment- Revisted
A reflective spoken-word essay on childhood wonder, nostalgia, and the quiet work of reclaiming imagination as adults during the holiday season.
A Eulogy for Mom
As spoken at Mom’s celebration of life, reprinted here for those who were not in attendance. (Photo for context Good morning.Before I say anything else, I want to acknowledge the banana in the room. As many of you know, yellow was Mom’s color—not in the arbitrary way we choose a favorite color, but as a…
Passport
A quiet traveler reaches the final gate, carrying a lifetime of memories and a heart ready to let go. As she steps forward, a familiar face welcomes her home—and a journey beyond begins.
A Penny for Your Memory
As the penny is finally decommissioned, its small copper life lingers on—in luck, childhood, and memory.
Yellow Footprints
Every Marine starts the same way — feet on painted yellow footprints, eyes forward, past erased. But behind the posture and precision lies a quiet war between identity and conformity, individuality and brotherhood. Those steps mark the beginning of something more than training — they mark transformation.
The Theater: An Allegory Up In Smoke
What starts as a single match strike grows into a conflagration of defiance, indulgence and decay. This is the smoke-filled theater we are choking in today.
Apophorism
A darkly playful poem that twists old sayings into new absurdities, blending satire, philosophy, and carnival imagery in biting verse.
Friendly Foreign Shores
We took a trip across the inland seaTo an island beyond this placeWhere the music played and beckoned meAnd the natives were warm with grace There we found equanimityA place just this side of perfect.Absent was any hostilityThat we have grown to expect Instead, we found the kindest folkOffering the bounty of their spiritWhere words…
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Mannino Acid 