Tough Shit, Eliot

By Richard D. Apgar

I can never say enough about my good friend, Rick Apgar. While Rick and I have spent years hanging out with each other, he still manages to surprise me every once in a while. We first met at one of the New Mexico State Fire Marshal’s Annual Fire Schools (pre-NMFFTA) that was held in Hobbs, NM. The rest, as they say, is history! A chance meeting of two displaced Jersey kids grew into a friendship that is extremely close to my heart. Through thick and thin and ups and downs, Rick has always been there for me.

One surprise I recently received is that Rick has been writing poetry for a number of years, and has also been published a number of times. This came to light after he won a prestigious award for one of his poems, and he got to read that verse to a group of his peers at a convention in Las Vegas. After I got over the shock that he has a “Kinder-Gentler” side, he went on to amaze me even more when he wrote "Tough Shit, Eliot." He was kind enough to share the original manuscript with me, and I found it to be an amusing and entertaining read.

To see it out in print makes me proud to say that I am a friend of the author. Not sure what to get that “hard to buy for” firefighter in your life for Christmas? How about a copy of "Tough Shit, Eliot?" You can download a copy of the order form off of my LINKS page. Scroll down to the "Tough Shit, Eliot" link at the bottom of the page.