Beck is known for his “kitchen sink” approach to music. Funk, folk, hip-hop, country, hard rock—it all gets thrown in with electronica, samples, and whatever else is lying around. Beck’s lyrics are no less eclectic. Images and idioms are strung together in a sorta street-smart surrealism. I often get what he’s saying without rationally understanding,Continue reading "Lord Only Knows – Beck"
Laryngitis
My son is getting over a cold. Now I’m examining every sneeze, every sniffle, every raw feeling in my throat, hoping I’m not getting it. Last year while sick, I wrote a poem entitled, “Laryngitis,” which will be in my next book, A Song of Glass: Dreams, Stories, and Poems. This poem explores losing one’sContinue reading "Laryngitis"
The Sun’s Face Burned
Now and then, for fun, I feed one of my poems into some AI platform and ask what school of poetry the poem is similar to. I know I don’t really fall into any particular school because my tastes and interests are too varied. I’m as likely to write free verse as to use traditionalContinue reading "The Sun’s Face Burned"
Song – Christina Rossetti
Since 2020, I’ve tried to be more intentional about reading poetry, and I’ve filled more than a shelf with books of poems I’ve finished. Earlier this year, I decided to re-read some books of poetry. Rather than just reading through as I did the first time, I thought approaching these books with more thoughtful analysisContinue reading "Song – Christina Rossetti"
A Scream
Now and then, I feeling like screaming. I think we all do. I felt like it a couple times this week; it made me think of my poem, “A Scream”, which will be in my upcoming book Above the Rain. A Scream A scream steam eruptingfrom spirit’s teeming boil a volcanic vocalizationthat rips through theContinue reading "A Scream"
Ribbons
My wife and I spent the weekend in a city. It doesn’t matter which one. We’re from a small town, so every city to me feels pre-apocalyptic, like someone pulled the thread that started civilization’s unraveling. That made me think of “Ribbons”, a poem which will be in my next book, A Song of Glass:Continue reading "Ribbons"
Sommelier
Last week I wasn’t able to post a poem because of a technical glitch happening (so I thought) with my blogging platform. It turns out the problem was with my word-processing app. Anyway, AI helped me troubleshoot and find a solution, so I am posting the sonnet I intended to post last week, “Sommelier.” ThisContinue reading "Sommelier"
Glitch
Anyone who has spent five minutes using any kind of tech knows that the world of computers is fraught with inexplicable malfunctions, errors, and unintended glitches (especially when updates occur). Unfortunately, this is affecting my blog. Without too many painful specifics, I’ll just say that, last week, WordPress developed a glitch that ruins the formattingContinue reading "Glitch"
Non Sequitur
“Non sequitur” is a Latin phrase that means, “It does not follow.” In formal logic, “non sequitur” describes a logical fallacy where the conclusion doesn’t follow from the premise. A simple example might be, “All cats have claws, therefore, all cats scratch furniture.” Logically, you can’t prove that all cats scratch furniture just because theyContinue reading "Non Sequitur"
Flee As a Bird
One of The Hunger Games soundtracks features the song, “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder” by The Secret Sisters. I was struck by the delicate harmonies and by the fact that it was hymn-like but not an old song. For years I thought about exploring more of The Secret Sisters’ music but didn’t do anything about itContinue reading "Flee As a Bird"
