My third book, Shadow and Memory is almost ready to self-publish. One of the poems in it is entitled “Cityscapes.” It is a four-part poem that records my impressions of a city our family visited last fall. Urban areas always make me think of Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming.” One of the lines says, “ThingsContinueContinue reading “Cityscapes”
Author Archives: mrteague
A Clergyman Is as Useless as a Cat
At the end of 2022, a friend asked if I would like to read a book with him: Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton. I had read it about 20 years ago and loved it so I readily agreed. Orthodoxy chronicles Chesterton’s return to the Catholic Church after wandering the wastes of intellectual modernism. Chesterton is aContinueContinue reading “A Clergyman Is as Useless as a Cat”
Requiem
Mozart’s Requiem is a deeply profound piece of music written for orchestra, choir, and vocal soloists. I have loved it since high school. A requiem is a Catholic funeral mass with different sections that help worshipers meditate on realities of the Christian faith related to death. Themes include eternal rest, God’s wrath, final judgment, andContinueContinue reading “Requiem”
New Song
On Easter, Christians often greet each other with the exchange, “He is risen!” “He is risen, indeed!” This expresses our belief that Christ’s resurrection is a fact—a fact assuring us death is not the end of our story, individually or as a community. “New Song” is a poem in my third book, Shadow and Memory,ContinueContinue reading “New Song”
Artless
Today marks the beginning of Passion Week, the time when Christians remember the days leading up to the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection after three days. “Passion” comes from a Greek word conveying the idea that one’s senses are pushed to their max—and even past. “Passion” can express any extreme experience—pleasureContinueContinue reading “Artless”
Lawn Gone
Since I posted a poem about my daughter last week, I thought I’d post one about my son this week. Like last week’s poem, “Lawn Gone” captures my reflections about kids growing and reaching maturity. Speaking of reaching maturity, I am excited to say my third book, Shadow and Memory is finished. Yesterday, I startedContinueContinue reading “Lawn Gone”
Alarm Clock
My daughter is a senior in high school. Next month, she and I are visiting the college she plans to attend. Adulthood is closing in fast. Before long, the days of having “my little girl” at home will be past. I’ve hardly begun to accept this fact. Thinking about my daughter growing up reminded meContinueContinue reading “Alarm Clock”
Oxymoron
I’ve mentioned before that cats often pad into my poems. That being the case, I decided last year to compile my cat poems into a chapbook. (Anyone who doubts that a book of cat poems has artistic dignity should check out Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot 😺). Right now, the workingContinueContinue reading “Oxymoron”
Lazy
In January, I released my first chapbook, The State of Mercury. In my post about its release, I mentioned this chapbook has poems about the many moods and states we pass through as people. Today’s post features a poem from The State of Mercury. This poem will also be included in my third book, ShadowContinueContinue reading “Lazy”
Night Train
Sometimes, we all have trouble sleeping. Several times a month I find myself restless or laying there wide awake or harassed by noises, and I can’t fall asleep. As annoying as this can be, sleepless nights have also been the birthplace of many poems. Below is one I wrote a few months ago in theContinueContinue reading “Night Train”
A Wandering Minstrel 