mrteague

Widow’s Weeds – Joseph Powell

For Mother’s Day, I’d like to post a poem about a mother by Dr. Joseph Powell. Dr. Powell is an emeritus professor of English at Central Washington University. When I attended CWU 20+ years ago, I took one of Dr. Powell’s poetry courses. His class continues to shape the way I think about and writeContinueContinue reading “Widow’s Weeds – Joseph Powell”

Warmth

When I began reading scripture (many years ago now), I was surprised to find real people in every book of the Bible. I think I expected stodgy folks who were (mostly) perfect and had an answer for everything (or at least pretended they did). Instead, I found self-doubters, whiners, and weaklings; people soaring to giddyContinueContinue reading “Warmth”

Every Dogma Has Its Day

As you’ll see, today’s poem started with a gut feeling (no pun intended). From there, I let myself free-associate, which led to synthesizing dog-related idioms into a new thought. Free associating is an approach to writing I’ve been trying lately. It’s just one tool and doesn’t always lead to a finished poem. But when itContinueContinue reading “Every Dogma Has Its Day”

Baloney Again

Last month, I decided to take a deep dive into the music of Mark Knopfler, who I first knew as the frontman for Dire Straits. Knopfler’s blues collar-pub vibe always appealed to me. But listening to more songs and albums showed me the extent to which he spans and synthesizes genres—rock, southern rock, bluegrass, folk,ContinueContinue reading “Baloney Again”

Flower

One thing I appreciate about writing is that it gives me an imaginative space to explore and process emotions—all kinds of emotions. In this space, I try to encounter what I’m experiencing non-judgmentally. Emotions aren’t always neat, tidy, or pretty. Art aims to re-present experience in a way that is honest but crafted and beautiful.ContinueContinue reading “Flower”

Imago

Today is Easter Sunday, the end of Holy Week, when Christians remember Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. Today’s poem, “Imago”, is from my fifth book, Voiceless Choirs: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. Writing always involves a bit of mystery. Sometimes I get intuitions and pursue ideas without realizing their full depth. Much of that IContinueContinue reading “Imago”

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”