1 day agoPETER PAN WAS RIGHTPETER PAN WAS RIGHT By John Thomas Tuft I guess Peter Pan was right Growing up’s a waste of time So I think I’ll fly away Set a course for brighter days…* It is dark by the time we reach the gate. We got on the bus in downtown Pittsburgh…School Shootings4 min read
May 20AGAINST THE WINDAGAINST THE WIND By John Thomas Tuft The barn owls are fleeting shadows against the dusky sky as they begin to hunt. Mist is hanging over the fields clinging to the fresh turned dirt like a guest reluctant to leave a good party. Fireflies rise from the damp grass and…Spirituality4 min read
May 13UNKNOWNBy John Thomas Tuft The map of their struggles and griefs, their joys and hopes are etched onto their faces in routes of careless explorations, and construction-riddled highways that lead to back roads of hidden fears and priceless gifts. After thirty-five years their conversations are like aleatoric music, sitting on…Sprituality3 min read
May 6A MURMURATION OF MOTHERSA MURMURATION OF MOTHERS By John Thomas Tuft Dr. Grace Paraclete checked her schedule for the ninth time, her eyes darting from the road to the iPad, back to the road, in a high-risk ballet of mental gymnastics; trying to prepare herself for the day’s work with her patients, balanced…Spirituality3 min read
Apr 29THIRSTY PEOPLETHIRSTY PEOPLE By John Thomas Tuft When Mama Sadie put on her black and white polka dot dress everyone knew things were taking a turn toward the serious. Mama Sadie only wore the dress for Sunday going to meeting, funerals, and dealing with high falutin’ folks like the mayor or…Spirituality4 min read
Apr 21JOHNNY SMOKEJOHNNY SMOKE By John Thomas Tuft They called him Johnny Smoke because when he was the star tailback for the East Allegheny Wildcats in the year of our lord 19 and 69, the coach said when Johnny ran, all you saw was smoke. That was the year that the shiny…Spirituality4 min read
Apr 15I AM…I SAIDI AM…I SAID By John Thomas Tuft The music starts softly, slowly. Mary crouches alone in the middle of the darkened stage. Only the ghost light burns, casting her shadow long and lean from where it is pushed off to one side. The seats are empty, yet she feels like…Spirituality4 min read
Apr 7CONTRONYM CHANANCONTRONYM CHANAN By John Thomas Tuft The elevator doors slid open. I drew in a deep breath and stepped out into the hallway of the Experimental Cancer Treatment Unit of a major hospital tied to a major research university system. This story is not about me so suffice it to…Spirituality4 min read
Apr 1LAMENTATIONSLAMENTATIONS BY John Thomas Tuft Bill walks down the hallway, his pace slow but determined. He wears his light blue scrubs, his work clothes, as he heads for the first case of another long day. Being a doctor was his childhood dream, practicing back in the same place his mother…Spirituality4 min read
Mar 25HALF PAST HOLYHALF PAST HOLY By John Thomas Tuft Big C developed a love for music early in life. His mother played records of Count Basie, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, and others ad infinitum. So, it was no big surprise when he took up the saxophone. The surprise was how…Spirituality4 min read
