There’s always a point in the work out videos I use when the leader asks, “Aren’t you glad you worked out today?” or “Doesn’t this feel good?” Mentally, I answer “NO” every time. I’ve never been one of those people who enjoys exercise. It’s more of a necessary evil. I suspect I’m not alone inContinue reading "Working Out"
Blank
Since I was traveling this past week, I am posting a day later than usual! When I returned home yesterday, the first paperback copies of my third book, Shadow and Memory were waiting. This got me thinking about today’s post. Most of the poems in Shadow and Memory were written in 2022, one of theContinue reading "Blank"
Sparrows
My daughter Kate is a senior at Wilson Hill Academy, an online school she’s attended since ninth grade. Once a year, Wilson Hill students and families attend an in-person event called LINK where they have field day competitions, awards ceremonies, and graduation. This week, we’ll be traveling to Colorado to attend LINK and my daughter’sContinue reading "Sparrows"
Shadow and Memory Now Available!
I’m pleased to say that my third book, Shadow and Memory, is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. This book represents an interesting juncture for me. As I explain in the book’s introduction, I’ve been in a season of leaving what is comfortable for me as writer: trying new poetic forms andContinue reading "Shadow and Memory Now Available!"
Undead
I’ve mentioned that odd thoughts stroll through my mind and into poems; or I get in a mood and write a quirky poem. Last weekend, as I was falling asleep, the first six or seven lines of the poem below jogged past. Then I couldn’t fall asleep (cue a sigh and throwing up my hands).Continue reading "Undead"
The Rhythm of Shadows
Today, I set up the Kindle version of my third book, Shadow and Memory. As I’ve mentioned, I’m hoping to self-publish it this month or next. A proof of the paperback will arrive this week so that I can make a last check for errors. I am in the home stretch! When putting together aContinue reading "The Rhythm of Shadows"
Cityscapes
My third book, Shadow and Memory is almost ready to self-publish. One of the poems in it is entitled “Cityscapes.” It is a four-part poem that records my impressions of a city our family visited last fall. Urban areas always make me think of Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming.” One of the lines says, “ThingsContinue reading "Cityscapes"
A Clergyman Is as Useless as a Cat
At the end of 2022, a friend asked if I would like to read a book with him: Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton. I had read it about 20 years ago and loved it so I readily agreed. Orthodoxy chronicles Chesterton’s return to the Catholic Church after wandering the wastes of intellectual modernism. Chesterton is aContinue reading "A Clergyman Is as Useless as a Cat"
Requiem
Mozart’s Requiem is a deeply profound piece of music written for orchestra, choir, and vocal soloists. I have loved it since high school. A requiem is a Catholic funeral mass with different sections that help worshipers meditate on realities of the Christian faith related to death. Themes include eternal rest, God’s wrath, final judgment, andContinue reading "Requiem"
New Song
On Easter, Christians often greet each other with the exchange, “He is risen!” “He is risen, indeed!” This expresses our belief that Christ’s resurrection is a fact—a fact assuring us death is not the end of our story, individually or as a community. “New Song” is a poem in my third book, Shadow and Memory,Continue reading "New Song"
A Wandering Minstrel 