
A man’s dialogue with his past and present. A man determining who he is and who he wants to be with eloquent incisive voice, somnambulant flow with varied and pleasing sonic palettes.
Gene G. McLaughlin 2026

When I was a child
there were a two highlights
of my tv viewing year.
One was Godzilla week
on channel 11 WPIX
Each year I would wait
and be rewarded with
glorious scenes and sounds
of kaiju
on my little tv screen
destroying Tokyo
battling each other
breathing fire
soaring in the sky
oh it was a wonder
The other was
the yearly showing
of The Wizard of Oz
Even though the flying monkeys
terrified me for the first few years
the spectacle of color and sound
made me white knuckle it
through the fear
For days after
I would think
what would it be like
to be transported
to another land
where ever big moment
had a song and dance routine
and everything was saturated
in brillant color
Gene G. McLaughlin 2026

As a kid
My sister liked Casper
The Friendly Ghost
She didn’t speak
But maybe she saw ghosts
And the thought of a friendly one
Made her happy
To this day
She has never said and never will
If ghosts are friendly
And give comfort to little autistic girls
I’ll be superstitious
Whether I believe or not
Gene G. McLaughlin 2026

Dear 100-Year-Old-Self,
Did the New York Jets ever make the playoffs again?
Did George R.R. Martin ever finish A Song of Ice and Fire?
Did Patrick Rothfuss ever come out with book 3?
Can you still drink coffee at 100?
Did it keep getting hotter and hotter?
How hot is it in the summer?
How hot in the winter?
Do we still fight constant wars?
How are any humans still alive?
Is it only you?
Do humans still laugh?
Did we learn anything at all?
Any fucking thing at all?
Please reply. We have no answers here.
Best Regards,
Gene G. McLaughlin 2026

I would go on a shopping spree at Toys R Us in 1980. When I was a kid I always saw the advertisements for Toys R Us on TV and couldn’t believe that such a place existed. The closest one was far away in North Jersey. How could anyone get there? North Jersey! It might as well have been Oz. It just seemed impossible. Luckily my parents eventually took me in their orange VW fan on a pilgrimage to the holy location of adolescent consumerism a few years later, but it never lived up to my imagination upon first seeing the TV ads. Locally in 2026 I would probably choose the mundane location of Barnes & Noble.
Gene G. McLaughlin 2026