mrteague

Those Winter Sundays—Robert Hayden

It’s probably been 20 years since I first read “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden (1913-1980). I read it now through the lens of a 48 year old parent rather than a 20-something with no kids. But it’s impact is no less. If anything, it’s grown. The story of the poem is simple: Hayden isContinueContinue reading “Those Winter Sundays—Robert Hayden”

Narrowing Sonnet

At Christmas time, we celebrate the birth of Christ. Christians believe God became human in Jesus. How can we grasp the extent to which God limited Himself in order to become human? Meditating on this is what inspired my poem, “Narrowing Sonnet.” In this poem, I explore God’s self-limitation through description and imagery but alsoContinueContinue reading “Narrowing Sonnet”

Process

Someone, (whose name escapes me) said, “All writing is re-writing.” This is the most succinct summary of the writing process I’ve ever heard. And, it is sooo true. Recently, I read Dylan Thomas’s Collected Poems. One of the poems was unfinished at the time of Thomas’s death. The editor included the most finished version ofContinueContinue reading “Process”

Commandos

You might expect someone who writes poetry to like long poems. More is better, right? Not for me. I feel like less is more when it comes to poetry. My favorite poems are presents of ideas and feelings the reader can unwrap by pulling on a ribbon. Otherwise, you’re really just writing a book thatContinueContinue reading “Commandos”

Post-Modern Sketches

(The painting for the post is “Retroactive II” by Robert Rauschenberg) Poetry has sometimes been a medium for social critique, as all art forms have. My poems are no exception, and some comment on the world we live in. One of the poems in my book, The Wind and the Shadows, is called “Post-Modern Sketches.”ContinueContinue reading “Post-Modern Sketches”

I Know the Moon

Writing doesn’t happen in a straight line, at least not in my experience. Some poems are like slipping on the ice; others like digging out of prison with a spoon. Most poems fall somewhere between these extremes. My first book, The Wind and the Shadows, has at least four poems of the “digging out ofContinueContinue reading “I Know the Moon”

Aliens—Amy Lowell

Amy Lowell is considered one of the leading figures of the Imagist movement in poetry. The Poetry Foundation describes Imagism as “An early 20th-century poetic movement that relied on the resonance of concrete images drawn in precise, colloquial language rather than traditional poetic diction and meter.” I recently read Amy Lowell’s poem, “Aliens.” The titleContinueContinue reading “Aliens—Amy Lowell”

“Anxiety” Published!

In a previous post, I shared that I’ve been submitting poems to journals and that one journal has agreed to publish one of my poems. I’m happy to say that my poem “Anxiety” has been published in this month’s edition of Better than Starbucks. “Anxiety” uses the image of a spider and its prey toContinueContinue reading ““Anxiety” Published!”

Moving the Goal Posts

After self-publishing my first book of poems, The Wind and the Shadows, in December of 2020, I set a goal to self-publish a second book of poems in a year. It seemed like a challenging but do-able goal. In 2020, while praying, I felt prompted to be more intentional about writing poetry. Putting out aContinueContinue reading “Moving the Goal Posts”

A Fly Buzzed Me before It Died

Poets can take themselves too seriously. That’s why I enjoy reading, and sometimes writing, light verse. Humor—in life and in writing—helps us keep perspective. In a world too often caught in a morass of self-importance, a good laugh can be a life line. Awhile back, a fly buzzed past my face while I was brushingContinueContinue reading “A Fly Buzzed Me before It Died”