Throughout my adult life I’ve been a writer and a physician.
My day job—the one that pays the bills, puts my twin sons through school, and provides—is as a physician. I take care of children with failing hearts. Kids shouldn’t have hearts that fail; teenagers shouldn’t have hearts that are broken unless by love. My job is to stand between the child and the abyss, and fix the heart. It’s costly, this job. Which is, in part, why I write.
My stories and poems have been influenced by what I’ve seen and done on medical missions to Central America, and in exploration in North America and Europe, alone and with my sons. We live in Florida, where rain and sun coexist. I write overlooking on open marsh on the back patio of our “finca,” with the overhead fan turning. I remain curious enough to keep the car running and am willing to drive down the stretch of road that catches the eye and imagination—in search of the next good poem, the next good story. Even if I never leave the back patio. My short story “Dia de los Muertos” was nominated for a 2023 Pushcart Prize by Shark Reef.