This past week, my wife and I took a road trip to see the redwoods and to celebrate 27 years of marriage. It was a fantastic trip, full of gifts: we enjoyed each other, fresh seafood in coastal towns, and stunning ocean views. We saw redwoods in a couple locations; each was like stepping intoContinue reading "Light Conversation"
Emptiest
In my last post, I talked about a poem I was working on that ended up being two poems. One poem was a tanka, a Japanese poetic form; the other is a poem I entitled “Emptiest”, whose form took shape as I wrote it. First, a couple stanzas naturally ended with “empty breast” and “emptyContinue reading "Emptiest"
Silent Film
The writing process is a source of mystery. I’m constantly surprised by how inspiration comes, how ideas develop, and by the interplay of various elements: intuition, reason, structure, prayer, and serendipity. After years of trying my hand at creative pursuits, I feel more participant than master. To be sure, learning craft and improving skills areContinue reading "Silent Film"
Anniversary Card
Days ago, my wife Carrie and I celebrated our 27th anniversary. We spent the day together, not doing anything mind-blowing, just enjoying each other’s company. As we were driving, Carrie talked about the excitement and energy of our marriage’s beginning versus the quieter sweetness we enjoy now. We agreed every phase of our marriage hasContinue reading "Anniversary Card"
Tablet
“Moses Breaks the Tablets of the Law” by Gustav Dore Today is Pentecost Sunday, when Christians remember the giving of the Holy Spirit. “Pentecost” means “Fifty,” and occurs 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead. On Pentecost, the fullness of the Spirit was poured out on Jesus to signify His anointing as King ofContinue reading "Tablet"
Kyrie
from The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson Today’s poem is from a series of poems based on the text of Mozart’s Requiem Mass. The Kyrie is the second section of the mass and has a brief text: Kyrie eleison / Lord, have mercyChriste eleison / Christ, have mercyKyrie eleison / Lord, have mercyContinue reading "Kyrie"
Widow’s Weeds – Joseph Powell
For Mother’s Day, I’d like to post a poem about a mother by Dr. Joseph Powell. Dr. Powell is an emeritus professor of English at Central Washington University. When I attended CWU 20+ years ago, I took one of Dr. Powell’s poetry courses. His class continues to shape the way I think about and writeContinue reading "Widow’s Weeds – Joseph Powell"
Warmth
When I began reading scripture (many years ago now), I was surprised to find real people in every book of the Bible. I think I expected stodgy folks who were (mostly) perfect and had an answer for everything (or at least pretended they did). Instead, I found self-doubters, whiners, and weaklings; people soaring to giddyContinue reading "Warmth"
Every Dogma Has Its Day
As you’ll see, today’s poem started with a gut feeling (no pun intended). From there, I let myself free-associate, which led to synthesizing dog-related idioms into a new thought. Free associating is an approach to writing I’ve been trying lately. It’s just one tool and doesn't always lead to a finished poem. But when itContinue reading "Every Dogma Has Its Day"
Baloney Again
Last month, I decided to take a deep dive into the music of Mark Knopfler, who I first knew as the frontman for Dire Straits. Knopfler’s blues collar-pub vibe always appealed to me. But listening to more songs and albums showed me the extent to which he spans and synthesizes genres—rock, southern rock, bluegrass, folk,Continue reading "Baloney Again"
A Wandering Minstrel 