CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

The Story of The Tops

August 10, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

No: This is not about Levi, Duke, Obie, and Lawrence, the “Four Tops” of R&B fame. This is about the two toilet tops. My youngest granddaughter, five years old, climbs from the toilet seat, rearranges her clothing, and looks at me: “Put the top down?” I nod, and she does, … Read More

Friends

August 3, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

This column first appeared in May 2022. “You have good friends,” my mother said to me, shortly before she died. She was in a hospice in Maryland, and I had traveled from St Louis Missouri to visit her. On that day, our reminiscences were specifically about one of my friends … Read More

The Hot Corner (Part Two)

July 27, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

On July 9 of this year, “CBS Sunday Morning” aired a segment about pedestrian deaths by automobile. I had already started my rant about the careless and dangerous attitude shown toward the 4-way stop signs on the corner outside my house (“The Hot Corner,” The Weekly View, July 19th, 2023.) … Read More

The Hot Corner

July 20, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

“Clop! That car came to a complete stop!” Myah’s cry startled me; I had not realized that I had verbalized my wonder at the rarity of stop-sign observance. We were on the lawn of the house I rent, and her amazement echoed mine about the adherence to an ordinance common … Read More

Darkness And Light

July 13, 2023 | by CJ Woods III

On Thursday, June 29th, I was sitting on my porch when a great wind blew up, bowing trees and stripping branches. Rain came in sideways, and I went inside the house. Through my screen door, I watched leaves being blown across the grass and street. When I turned away from … Read More