As I sifted through a pile of second-hand sweaters on the sidewalk, two children, maybe eight or nine years old, extended their dirty hands towards me. One wore a tank top and greasy cut off khakis, the other was dressed in oversized shorts and a coat branded across the chest with orange letters J-A-C and K-E-T split by the zipper. Both held an empty plastic … Continue reading A Month in Morocco: Hijacked
I napped while the train rolled north along the west coast. As the steel wheels lumbered along rust-pitted tracks, I dreamed of men shouting at me in Arabic. I woke up confused—and a look out the window made me think of Baja. Trash fires dotted the sandy, barren stretches while kids on ratty bicycles rode along the parallel tracks, throwing rocks. The ocean was flat … Continue reading A Month in Morocco: To Be a Better Man
“A journey is a person in itself.” – John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley Moroccan men look tough. And though I know this is a ridiculous generalization, fact is I wrote it in my journal. In Tangier I had landed in a place quite unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. I was out of place, high-strung and mysteriously frustrated. But mostly I was confused by the face … Continue reading A Month in Morocco: From Fear to Vulnerability
Before I left for Morocco, my buddy Scotty and I chatted at length about Tangier’s influence on literature and art. Famous Beat writers such as Burroughs, Bowles, Ginsberg, Kerouac and Corso all either visited or resided in Tangier in the late 50s and early 60s. Bowles’ famous work on Tangier’s dark side, Let It Come Down, attracted Burroughs to North Africa – and when Kerouac … Continue reading A Month in Morocco: Tangier’s Literary Scene
Tom Griffen 
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