XIPO IS HERE

–And it's always had a special place in my heart. And it is as close as I have ever gotten to writing a story since, well, 1976. I know what you are thinking: no, I didn't write a story about the bicentennial ships. I mean, I could have, but I didn't.

More importantly, I like XIPO. It's a story without a ship. But it does have a date in it, and candles, and many laments and a little bit of Burl Ives. That's the good news.

The bad news is that I'm sorry that I stole the ink work. Not terribly sorry, though–I think it found a good, and a new, home.