Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Passages: Stories and a Baker's Dozen Poems
    Passages: Stories and a Baker's Dozen Poems
    Passages: Stories and a Baker's Dozen Poems
    Ebook143 pages1 hour

    Passages: Stories and a Baker's Dozen Poems

    By Doug Hodges

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Like four of my previous books, these are collected tales of the Spirits.
    These stories are shared with me by the Spirits to be, in turn, shared with any and all. Other than being short stories, they have no framework, no rack upon which to hang a hat. They are inter-dimensional, timeless, real and unreal. They cross the boundaries of myth, religion, history, and space.
    Some may seem simplistic, others convoluted; all are recorded as given to me. All are for the readers entertainment. If more is gained and judging by many responses, this is the case then, I feel, that is why they were given to me and why said reader is reading them. I think, and I hope others agree, that they can be very funny.
    Again, as in the previous volumes, Raven and Coyote, more often than not, take the lead; however, there are some others, herein, lending their voice.
    In the back of the book, a bakers dozen poems appear. I usually shy from mixing prose and poetry yet I noticed a number of the stores dealt with music and, in any event, I was led to include the poems.
    As in my previous books, save the first one, I have tried to illustrate the way with, what I think are, pertinent images.
    The world of these tales is miraculous, mysterious, wonderful, surprising, shocking, and some times confusing. It is a world that I have grown fond of and forget it may seem strange to the new reader. I suggest one just jumps in. All the stores from all the volumes stand on their own. If the reader enjoys this particular book, I recommend the others.
    Within, there is a story, a word, an image for everyone.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateFeb 22, 2012
    ISBN9781468546200
    Passages: Stories and a Baker's Dozen Poems
    Author

    Doug Hodges

    I have been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil, with my first poem written in the fifth grade. This led to a career in Colorado newspapers, which lasted more than twenty years, though in a variety of capacities. I once wrote an historical column, titled The Trail’s End. This tied my love of words in with my love of history, a deep-seated yearning flowing throughout my life. A need to blend the humanity and emotion of raw life with the cold stone of fact, the idealism of win and loss with the blood and bone reality of violence being a lose-lose proposition, trying to find that spiritual truth among the physical fact. In 2014, a good friend invited me to share a trip to Gettysburg, which reawakened a long-dormant civil war seed. From this journey came our collaborated book, Bob’s Gettysburg Saga & Poetry. Upon its successful publication, we decided that Bob should visit other historical sites and chose the Alamo for his next venture. Unfortunately, my friend was not able to participate in this endeavor. So I continued, trusting that the spirit of Bob’s creator would find its way between the lines. Following Bob’s section are a couple of obituaries I penned some time ago. Completing the volume are a couple of Western tales. I hope the reader may enjoy this collection of historical reminiscence as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now, on the backside of sixty, I reside in the Rio Grande Valley with my wife, who is also my personal editorial department (all errors are still mine, she will be quick to note), three dogs, and a parrot. My wife taught high school English and communication (speech) for over thirty years. When not writing or visiting family, we like to sit around and discuss words and language.

    Read more from Doug Hodges

    Related to Passages

    Related ebooks

    Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Hayley + The Clarence

      Sep 2, 2021

      Hayley + The Clarence
      13 min read

    • Article

      MAKING A splash

      Jan 19, 2021

      Carla Watkins, 34, from Colchester, Essex Slumped over my computer, I stifled a bored yawn. Another uneventful day was ticking past at my marketing job, they all blurred into one. It was always a relief when my lunch hour rolled round and I could b

      4 min read

    • Article

      Risk And Reward

      Feb 18, 2022

      Risk And Reward
      6 min read

    • Article

      River Crossing

      Dec 1, 2020

      My wife, my daughter, and I live on the bluff overlooking the river. The river is wide, and it is swarming with crocodiles and hippos. Courtesy of our unique ecosystem, they have developed a taste for each other’s flesh, and some days the banks are t

      29 min read

    • Article

      My Story My Friend Cath

      Mar 25, 2020

      My Story My Friend Cath
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Beautiful Unforeseen

      Sep 2, 2022

      The Beautiful Unforeseen
      9 min read

    • Article

      When Bubba Met God

      Sep 25, 2018

      When Bubba Met God
      5 min read

    • Article

      Us Animals: Writing the Natural World Back into the Human

      Apr 25, 2018

      There are so many ways for a nest to fail. So many ways for a sentence to fail. In my years as a field biologist I watched how the natural world dealt with the inevitability of failure—in life, mating, reproduction, predation. Unaware, I began to tra

      6 min read

    • Article

      Writing From The Edge

      May 1, 2019

      One outreaches language in poetry when the inseeing elements of consciousness ask the unseen of life to come forward. My aim has been to unseat what we assume about time, about the verities of love and death, of the consciousness of those other senti

      9 min read

    • Article

      Beginning Of Operational Life

      Aug 5, 2021

      Beginning Of Operational Life
      8 min read

    • Article

      A CLOSER LOOK AT Being a Fox

      Nov 1, 2017

      A CLOSER LOOK AT Being a Fox
      7 min read

    • Article

      Tom Cunliffe

      Oct 28, 2022

      Tom Cunliffe
      5 min read

    • Article

      Tom Cunliffe

      Oct 28, 2022

      Tom Cunliffe
      5 min read

    • Article

      Everywhere Around Us

      Sep 23, 2023

      Everywhere Around Us
      5 min read

    • Article

      SHORT STORY by MARGARET ATWOOD

      Mar 22, 2023

      SHORT STORY by MARGARET ATWOOD
      7 min read

    • Article

      Collins Ferry Landing

      Jul 1, 2020

      for my father Only rivers bottom out like this.Only rivers bottom out with this kind of conviction.Not humans, or, at least, not humans asindisputably human as you were,trapped in consciousness’s surplus, exilic,animalized absurdity, writhing in its

      5 min read

    • Article

      My Sea Turtle Story

      Jun 25, 2019

      My Sea Turtle Story
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Last Word with Jonathan Weiner: The more science knows, the more rich and mysterious the world becomes.

      Nov 27, 2014

      Jonathan Weiner is one of our favorite science writers. He animates topics like evolution and genetics with personal stories about pioneer scientists that read like adventures you don’t want to end. You can go to the Galapagos Islands to marvel at bl

      6 min read

    • Article

      SHORT STORY by MARGARET ATWOOD

      Mar 22, 2023

      SHORT STORY by MARGARET ATWOOD
      7 min read

    • Article

      Getting on Life’s Conveyor Belt: One Woman’s Journey of Transforming What Wasn’t Working into What Was Meant to Be

      Jul 15, 2021

      Estimated reading time: 4 minutes — Sometimes I literally stop what I’m doing, look around and wonder, has it only been one year or has it been a lifetime since everything changed?  If you had told me, “A year from now Katie, you will be living at y

      2 min read

    • Article

      Lost In The Stream

      Jan 9, 2024

      Lost In The Stream
      12 min read

    • Article

      My Sea Turtle Story

      May 26, 2023

      My Sea Turtle Story
      5 min read

    • Article

      Row Boat BEAVERS

      Oct 24, 2023

      Row Boat BEAVERS
      3 min read

    • Article

      Oceans

      Mar 15, 2019

      I used to be interested in mountains. They moved at a speed I could deal with. They waited for me to catch up. It was like that all my life. Then we moved to California, and after eight years of earthquakes I began to doubt my ability to put things i

      12 min read

    • Article

      Art Wolfe

      Dec 10, 2021

      Art Wolfe has been working as a travel photographer for more than 45 years and has taken photos on every continent. His photos have also supported various wildlife and conservation causes. He’s based in Seattle, Washington, USA. Wolfe has won the Nat

      9 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Passages

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Passages - Doug Hodges

      © 2012 Doug Hodges. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse

      ISBN: 978-1-4685-4618-7 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4685-4620-0 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2012901297

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      This book is printed on acid-free paper.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      CONTENTS

      Thanksgiving

      St. Stephen’s Miracle

      A Coyote Christmas

      Temptations Abound

      Coyote and the Singing Angel

      A Day On The Range

      The Road to Apex

      A Week In Denver

      The Twelfth of Never

      Children of Age

      The Thing In The Desert

      Hermann,

      the Little Blue Dragon

      Interludes:

      Poems: A Baker’s Dozen

      The Afterword

      ‘Tis the good reader that makes the good book;

      …in every book he finds passages which seem

      confidences or asides hidden from all else and

      unmistakably meant for his ear.

      - Ralph Waldo Emerson

      Works and Days

      All thanks to the Great Spirit for allowing me to participate in the first place -

      Thanks be to all the Spirits who have blessed me, guided me, shared with me, allowed me to be a part of their existence -

      Thanks be to a lifetime of folk who have woven their lives into

      my own -

      A special tip of the hat to my wife, Linda -

      mate, partner, fellow traveler, proofreader, and soundboard.

      A very warm welcome to one and all!

      If you are continuing along with me on this spiritual journey of myth, mirth

      genre-slipping, reality-leaping,

      sense-wandering amazement,

      tighten your cinch and

      saddle up, partners!

      If you are newly joining me

      on this path,

      I am honored to share with you my seventh literary sojourn.

      On behalf of Raven, Coyote, & all the others, I humbly and sincerely wish you happy journeying.

      for Linda

      - to all those who would share

      my ripples across this great

      endless pond of ours and allow me

      to share their’s in return

      raven.jpg

      Raven

      Thanksgiving 

      i

      Coyote and Raven sat next to each other, Coyote in the tall grass beneath the old weathered two-rail fence, scratching himself; Raven perched upon one leaning post, preening and generally taking in the morning. They were somewhere in the world; where didn’t matter, for the world was theirs.

      The morning had dawned as gorgeous as ever; the two had sung the day in with blessings and prayers.

      Coyote was always grateful for whatever gifts the Great Spirit may have bestowed upon him, whatever paths, challenges, happenstances… all were true blessings. Yet, quite often he wasn’t sure of how to take these things, how to react, what to say or do… so, he tried not to think about things at all and merely live them.

      Raven, on the other hand, immediately recognized such blessings and opportunities. He, too, was constantly grateful and ever-ready to arise to any and all occasions. He never once questioned reason nor doubted his ability. Raven thought and planned and remembered. Every thing that he observed and lived was crafted into a great tapestry of life.

      Of course, Coyote wove a similar tapestry. He just never looked at it and definitely had no conscious effort in its creation.

      Raven, began Coyote, what shall I do today?

      Do nothing! replied Raven with a cocked eye. The same as everyday.

      That’s not true. said Coyote, with a small frown.

      He continued, I want to do something special, today. I feel so thankful that I want to pass it on, you know.

      I do not know! said Raven, who in actuality did know and was feeling the very same way. He just refused to agree with Coyote on general principles and, besides, Coyote’s plans always seemed over-complicated and doomed to… if not failure, some exasperating detours, before any end was achieved.

      What say… we save some town from destruction… earthquake, volcano, tsunami, blizzard, mudslide, fire… something like that? Coyote looked expectantly up at Raven.

      What say, in a word, NO! The last word Raven spoke in a quiet but very positive manner. That would be treading in waters not of our purview, and you know it. Raven went on, Such powers are only given us through the Great Spirit and in their own time.

      Raven sighed and thought, started to scratch one wing with a foot when he realized it made him look too much like Coyote and stopped. We could find the band… he started, maybe, give an impromptu concert…

      Coyote responded, If we have to organize it, it wouldn’t be impromptu.

      Fine! said Raven, peevishly. Just trying to help.

      ii

      All at once, a great wind came up, the sky darkened and rain began to fall in sheets. Raven muttered, I can not fly in this!

      Coyote shouted, Climb aboard. I know where there’s a cave.

      The two were off, moving through the waves of rain, Coyote trying to use what trees and rocks he passed as shields, Raven clinging for dear life between Coyote’s shoulder blades.

      They came to a shallow draw, normally dry, now with the bottom foot of its seven foot depth running with churning, muddy, water. Coyote slowed and moved along the edge.

      Here, he said, just over the side. There should be a rock ledge and a small cave going back about six feet.

      Raven peered over the ledge. If you say so. And, over he went, Coyote following.

      The two gazed out the opening at the wet world. Rain still swept in sheets. The water below flowed higher and seemingly faster.

      Raven asked, Do you think the water will reach this high?"

      I don’t think so… replied Coyote, it never has before, that I know of.

      With that, the two backed off into the cave. The ceiling was low but not uncomfortable for these two; it smelled musty, maybe like an animal… then, again, a wet coyote smells pretty strong, as Raven was quick to point out as he shook out his feathers.

      Coyote circled around a couple of times, curled up and said, At least it’s dry. I’m going to sleep.

      We might as well, agreed Raven, who then snuggled next to Coyote and closed his eyes.

      When Coyote awoke, he unwound himself from Raven and seeing bright sunlight outside, he walked to the cave’s entrance.

      I wouldn’t go too close to the ledge, if I were you, came mumbled from behind.

      I didn’t know you were awake. Coyote said.

      I am not. At least, I am not sure… take a look for yourself. Raven stated cryptically.

      Coyote looked.

      The world lay below him, thousands of feet below him. And, he could see for hundreds of miles. It was some sort of incredible mountain wasteland.

      Coyote craned his head and looked above. They were still just below the lip; yet, the soil was no longer grass and dirt but solid rock.

      The wind careened and whistled and Coyote took a step back into the cave so as not to be sucked away.

      I don’t think we’re in Kansas, anymore, he said.

      We never were in Kansas, replied Raven who had walked to Coyote’s side, but, I know what you mean.

      What just happened? And, how? Coyote asked.

      I do not know, said

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1