mrteague

Denial

Today is the beginning of Holy Week—the seven days leading up to Easter. Holy Week is a roller coaster that starts with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), plunges into grief at the Last Supper (Maundy Thursday), bottoms out with Christ’s crucifixion and burial (Good Friday), then launches to the greater heights of Christ’sContinueContinue reading “Denial”

Fairest Lord Jesus

“Fairest Lord Jesus” has long been a favorite hymn of mine. The text presents beautiful scenes from nature, then says how much more beautiful Jesus is. The music is full of longing. All together, there is an adoration in this hymn that makes it more like a love song than anything else. Verse two says:ContinueContinue reading “Fairest Lord Jesus”

Writing with Andrew

As a parent, I’m a cliche. My kids say I live under a rock. This is the charge whenever I don’t know something about pop culture, current events, or…you name it. When it comes to the internet, I’m not a native like my kids. The web is something I use as a tool, not somethingContinueContinue reading “Writing with Andrew”

Head in the Clouds

Image from https://easy-peasy.ai The last few weeks, writing has slooooowed to a trickle. I told a friend recently that I feel like my brain took a vacation without telling me 😆 (This also reminds me of the time I felt like the muses were on strike). Below is a poem I wrote last year whenContinueContinue reading “Head in the Clouds”

Finches

Birdsong has always caught the ear of the musician in me. I’m not the first. French composer Oliver Messiaen painstakingly translated a dozen or so birdsongs into musical notation, then composed a piece based on his research called, “Catalog of Birds”. The last few years, I’ve gotten more intentional about listening to birds, despite myContinueContinue reading “Finches”

Street View

This week, I tallied poems and determined I have enough to work on self-publishing my next book, A Song of Glass. I’d like to add one more poem, and I need to write an introduction. Then I can start the (often arduous) process of setting the book up in Amazon’s self-publishing platform. Poetry is oftenContinueContinue reading “Street View”

Forevermore

My wife and I did the math the other day, and found we’ve been Valentines for 27 years or so. Over the years, I’ve given her a poem or two on Valentine’s Day. This year I had no plan to but yesterday morning, I was inspired and dashed off the frolic below. More than likely,ContinueContinue reading “Forevermore”

Perdition

This last week, I was thumbing through my third book, Shadow and Memory, and found myself liking the poems in there. As I’ve written poetry or music over the years, I’ve found it’s easier to enjoy something I’ve created once some time has passed. Memories of agonizing over which word to use, whether to breakContinueContinue reading “Perdition”

In Memoriam CVI (106)

Last year, I became acquainted with Tennyson’s In Memoriam, a series of 131 poems he wrote for a close friend that died suddenly. These poems are full of beauty and striking imagery that uncovers the many faces of grief. I’ve read through In Memoriam twice but continue to keep a copy by my bed soContinueContinue reading “In Memoriam CVI (106)”

Looking Down the Road

This week, I’ll attend a funeral for one of my uncles. In 2024, I attended two funerals for two other uncles. I have lost relatives before. But losing these uncles has caused a shift in my life: of the adults I knew while growing up, half are dead. This has brought a different kind ofContinueContinue reading “Looking Down the Road”