mrteague

Psalm 126

Psalm 126 is a joyous song about the Lord restoring Israel after a time of suffering and judgment. It portrays a people so grateful they think they must be dreaming. The thought of being joyful to point of dreaming piqued my interest, so I wrote a poem based on this psalm for my latest book,ContinueContinue reading “Psalm 126”

Dyeing the Easter Eggs

Last month, I posted about a poetic form pantoum. As an example of the form, I linked to a poem by A.E. Stallings called, “Another Lullaby for Insomniacs”. I so enjoyed Stallings’s pantoum, I got her book Like, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. One thing I appreciate about Stallings’s work is theContinueContinue reading “Dyeing the Easter Eggs”

Remember

Well, I totally forgot to set up my blog post this week so I’m dashing off this quick post. Apropos of forgetting, I’m posting a haiku entitled “Remember,” which was in my third book, Shadow and Memory. RememberTo re-member, tore-collect and re-connect what time’s knife severed.

Song a Some’n Else

Walt Whitman is a celebrated American poet. His collection Leaves of Grass influenced generations of poets. While I can’t deny Whitman’s impact on American poetry, I’ve never been a fan. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as the old saying goes. “Song of Myself” is an infamous poem from Leaves of Grass. The titleContinueContinue reading “Song a Some’n Else”

Rain

I grew up near Seattle. Given its proximity to Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean, it rains non-stop in that area. Because of this, I regard rain as a dreary annoyance. (Did I mention I don’t like it? 😆). Since it’s rained a lot the last few days, I have rain on the brain. SoContinueContinue reading “Rain”

Psalm 41

In my new book, Voiceless Choirs: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, I poetically interact with sacred texts, such as Psalms. There are 150 psalms, so I decided to write a poem based on one of every 10. From the fifth grouping, I chose Psalm 41. There is a spiritual battle in the subtext of theContinueContinue reading “Psalm 41”

Conundrum

It’s been awhile—quite awhile—since I posted a haiku. As I’ve remarked before, I love haiku for their brief, impressionistic quality. “Conundrum” is a haiku that will be in my upcoming book, A Song of Glass. Incidentally, the title poem in A Song of Glass is also a haiku. Brief poems deserve brief introductions. So withoutContinueContinue reading “Conundrum”

What the Seven Thunders Said

Art by Nina Paley / apocalypseanimated.com Revelation, the final book of the Bible, is a series of visions recorded by John (either John the Apostle or John the Elder, scholars don’t agree…but do they ever?). Nearly every image in these visions comes from the Old Testament. That said, the images are combined in surprising waysContinueContinue reading “What the Seven Thunders Said”

The Pantoum

I’ve been learning about a new poetic form: the pantoum. This is a Malaysian form consisting of quatrains (four line sections or stanzas); the second and fourth lines in one stanza become the first and third lines of the following stanza. The first and third lines of the first stanza are then repeated as theContinueContinue reading “The Pantoum”

Jays and Nuthatches

Officially, it’s been fall since September 22nd but with temps in the 70s and 80s, it hasn’t felt like it yet. Still, fall is hinting to summer that it’s time to go; leaves are already on the ground, and it was in the 40s when I got up yesterday. I’ve paid more attention to birdsContinueContinue reading “Jays and Nuthatches”