Happy New Year š„³ Below is (probably) the only poem Iāve written about New Yearās. It will be in my next book, A Song of Glass. Iām about 80% done with this book so should self-publish it in the late spring or early summer of 2026. A HauntingI drift over to them, but they donātContinue reading "A Haunting"
A Christmas CarolāChristina Rossetti
Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst Christina Rossetti is a poet I became acquainted with in 2022ā¦or so I thought. While reading her poems for the first time, I realized I had heard her poem āA Christmas Carolā set to music years before. āA Christmas Carolā is a meditation on how much ChristContinue reading "A Christmas CarolāChristina Rossetti"
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
With Christmas just around the corner, I have carols on my mind. In my latest book, Voiceless Choirs: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, I poetically interact with sacred texts, and some of those are traditional hymns. Knowing my love of Christmas music, I knew some of those hymns would be Christmas carols, and I didContinue reading "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"
Black Friday
Black Friday unofficially kicks off the Christmas season for many. Weāre past Halloweāen and Thanksgiving so can concern ourselves with decking hallsā¦or other shoppers (as has happened now & then š). Black Friday is a shopping day of epic proportions. It carries the mythos of putting retailers āin the blackā again. Such drama must beContinue reading "Black Friday"
Wonders
Some days I feel overwhelmed by the amount of human wreckage in the world. The causes are manyāselfishness, addiction, division, assault, unrest, economic strainā¦the list can seem endless. I often wonder how much more people can weather. But we are still here, and the original goodness of things still shows through in places. āWondersā isContinue reading "Wonders"
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,Continue 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, āAnother Lullaby for Insomniacsā. I so enjoyed Stallingsās pantoum, I got her book Like, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. One thing I appreciate about Stallingsās work is theContinue reading "Dyeing the Easter Eggs"
Remember
Well, I totally forgot to set up my blog post this week so Iām dashing off this quick post. Apropos of forgetting, Iām posting a haiku entitled āRemember,ā which was in my third book, Shadow and Memory. RememberTo re-member, tore-collect and re-connect what timeās knife severed.
Song a Someān Else
Walt Whitman is a celebrated American poet. His collection Leaves of Grass influenced generations of poets. While I canāt deny Whitmanās impact on American poetry, Iāve never been a fan. One manās trash is another manās treasure, as the old saying goes. āSong of Myselfā is an infamous poem from Leaves of Grass. The titleContinue reading "Song a Someān 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 donāt like it? š). Since itās rained a lot the last few days, I have rain on the brain. SoContinue reading "Rain"
A Wandering Minstrel 