Excrements

About the Book

Bickford Parker’s “EXCREMENTS from an AGED MIND” is a whimsical collection of twenty-six short stories and essays, and thirteen unusual poems. They are essentially free of subplots and extra padding, and approached with a playful tongue-in-cheek satirical undertow. His book begins with the mischief that four boys get into, when they decide to raid an old timer’s apple orchard, and continues with gripping stories which depict the many facets of the Human Condition. The characters cope to life’s unexpected foibles and setbacks in their own inimitable ways, as well as the surmounting gains they achieve through solid perseverance, or just plain old “dumb” luck. A few instances involve: A reluctant man in a rehabilitation unit, who describes to his councilor his idea of the “Perfekt” week; a literary handling on a question of being dead; a despondent man in search of a job; the unintentional consequence of a certain letter, mailed forty-years too late; and an unusually comical look at a danged-fangled contraption. In Part Two, readers will find thirteen of the most off-beat, ambiguous, and eclectic poems encompassing subjects like: a specter in the mist; a man-eating tree; a witch or not; and a fanciful rendering of a Christmas-time little ditty entitled “Incoherent Excoriation.” Concluding this book is an unconventional Epilogue, along with a mysterious and perplexing rhyme in which the author inadvertently challenges his readers, to try to solve his intricate and mystical little enigma. All in all, Mr. Parker’s recent endeavor is extremely adroit and a pleasant read, but his satirical prowess will have many different meanings to as many different readers, which was his original intention to begin with.

About the Author

Bickford Parker (a pseudonym,) was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts in 1941. His given name however, you may find cleverly disguised within the boundaries of his stories, essays, or poems ... or perhaps - elsewhere between the tight¬ly bound covers of this, Bickford's most recent endeavor. A Former Marine Corps. Veteran (1960-64), Bickford was a Club Golf Professional, and also worked in the jewelry trade for over thirty years. Writing and published since 1965, his first works app-eared in "The Craftsman," a local magazine - where he was a staff writer for three years. He also owned and operated Autumn Oak Publishing, a small Company, and was C.E.O. of County Advertising, both of Attleboro, Massachusetts. Bickford has penned two previous non-fiction books entitled "YOUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO WINNING MEGABUCKS," 1988, and "THE CHEROKEE AND THE IROQUOIS," 1994, both of Autumn Oak Publishing. His hobbies are oil painting, playing guitar and 5-string bluegrass banjo, and has an interest in Philosophy.