Image from https://easy-peasy.ai The last few weeks, writing has slooooowed to a trickle. I told a friend recently that I feel like my brain took a vacation without telling me š (This also reminds me of the time I felt like the muses were on strike). Below is a poem I wrote last year whenContinue reading "Head in the Clouds"
Finches
Birdsong has always caught the ear of the musician in me. Iām not the first. French composer Oliver Messiaen painstakingly translated a dozen or so birdsongs into musical notation, then composed a piece based on his research called, āCatalog of Birdsā. The last few years, Iāve gotten more intentional about listening to birds, despite myContinue reading "Finches"
Street View
This week, I tallied poems and determined I have enough to work on self-publishing my next book, A Song of Glass. Iād like to add one more poem, and I need to write an introduction. Then I can start the (often arduous) process of setting the book up in Amazonās self-publishing platform. Poetry is oftenContinue reading "Street View"
Forevermore
My wife and I did the math the other day, and found weāve been Valentines for 27 years or so. Over the years, Iāve given her a poem or two on Valentineās Day. This year I had no plan to but yesterday morning, I was inspired and dashed off the frolic below. More than likely,Continue reading "Forevermore"
Perdition
This last week, I was thumbing through my third book, Shadow and Memory, and found myself liking the poems in there. As Iāve written poetry or music over the years, Iāve found itās easier to enjoy something Iāve created once some time has passed. Memories of agonizing over which word to use, whether to breakContinue reading "Perdition"
In Memoriam CVI (106)
Last year, I became acquainted with Tennysonās In Memoriam, a series of 131 poems he wrote for a close friend that died suddenly. These poems are full of beauty and striking imagery that uncovers the many faces of grief. Iāve read through In Memoriam twice but continue to keep a copy by my bed soContinue reading "In Memoriam CVI (106)"
Looking Down the Road
This week, Iāll attend a funeral for one of my uncles. In 2024, I attended two funerals for two other uncles. I have lost relatives before. But losing these uncles has caused a shift in my life: of the adults I knew while growing up, half are dead. This has brought a different kind ofContinue reading "Looking Down the Road"
Many Waters
In my new book, Voiceless Choirs: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, I mention that the original title was Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. My friend and fellow writer, Matt Randles, suggested making that the subtitle and drawing a title from a line in one of the poems. I decided to take Mattās suggestion and beganContinue reading "Many Waters"
The Clock Ticks
Writing is a process that even writers find mysterious. Thereās no one way to write. Every poem is its own journey, and Iām usually discovering what a poem is as much as writing it. There are also many ways to approach writing. Often I start with an experience or idea I want to capture inContinue reading "The Clock Ticks"
A Haunting
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"
