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 thatContinue reading “Commandos”
Author Archives: mrteague
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.”Continue 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 ofContinue 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 titleContinue 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 toContinue 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 aContinue 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 brushingContinue reading “A Fly Buzzed Me before It Died”
MCMXIV—Philip Larkin
One of the poets I’ve been reading lately is Philip Larkin (1922-1985). Larkin has many striking poems, but one that stands out to me is “MCMXIV”. MCMXIV is, of course, 1914 in Roman numerals. The title suggests the beginning of World War I. Larkin begins the poem by talking about long lines of men, thenContinue reading “MCMXIV—Philip Larkin”
The Fence
The Fence is a poem I wrote in 2020. It’s about a fence (surprise, surprise) and the property behind it that I passed while walking to high school. It’s funny how mundane things imprint on our psyches. I can’t account for it except that it’s one way everything can point to ultimate meaning. Plato saidContinue reading “The Fence”
Welcome
Welcome to my poetry site. My name is Teague McKamey, and I’ve been writing poetry since the early 1990s. However, I wouldn’t say I took writing poetry all that seriously until 2020. While praying in the spring of 2020, I felt moved to put more focus on writing and reading poetry. That led to self-publishingContinue reading “Welcome”
A Wandering Minstrel 