Borders And Allegiances (Critical Thinking on Memorial Day) — Here goes AleXander Hirka again—flogging that anti-war horse. You’d think by now he’d know that while he imagines all the people living life in peace, that there is an excitement, a romance, perhaps a testosterone necessity to this organized violence that makes war a force that gives people meaning. But…

Dissecting the Guts of the 4th Of July — Patriotism = ’Love of and devotion to one’s country’. What can I tell ya. I’m not a patriot. I don’t “love my country.” Certainly there are things that I love that happen or exist within the demarcated borders of this country—but let’s just say that it and I have always…

A History (With A Soundtrack) — This is the continuation of The Wars and I (1951–1971) The Wars and I (1951–1971) A History (With A Soundtrack)alexanderhirka.medium.com And so here we are today. I was going to begin by saying that I have lived, since Vietnam, through many many other wars. The most I can truly say is that I’ve lived through many many protests in the streets against these ongoing atrocities. Afghanistan. Iraq…

Prayers Tied To The Railroad Tracks — The Treacle Before The Storm There were a bunch of heartwarming videos shared via social media at the beginning of the pandemic. They suggested that this disaster was going to bring people together—reveal the best that lies in the heart of every human. …

Into The Desert With 70 Thousand Other Souls, Again

A response to a Prism & Pen writing prompt on queer crushes — Crush — “To experience an intense and usually passing infatuation.” — Merriam-Webster dictionary I recognized all my early “crushes” only in retrospect—because I didn’t know what those feelings were at the time. There were girls and there were boys—and it has remained thus. • Hayley Mills • I grew up…

All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes — Most of the time I am on a subway my head is buried in a book. But every so often—sailing away on some mind reverie, or glancing up at the stations passing to keep track of the progress in my journey—I stop to notice members purportedly of my own species. A Cavalcade Of Humans …

Emerging Over The Years — I sucked my first penis when I was 13 years old. We were playing a game, about 5 or 6 of us, in a basement in Brooklyn. Bushwick—many many decades before it would become a hipster destination— was a diverse middle-class neighborhood. …