Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst Christina Rossetti is a poet I became acquainted with in 2022…or so I thought. While reading her poems for the first time, I realized I had heard her poem “A Christmas Carol” set to music years before. “A Christmas Carol” is a meditation on how much ChristContinue reading "A Christmas Carol—Christina 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. We’re past Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving so can concern ourselves with decking halls…or other shoppers (as has happened now & then 😆). Black Friday is a shopping day of epic proportions. It carries the mythos of putting retailers “in the black” 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 many—selfishness, addiction, division, assault, unrest, economic strain…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. “Wonders” 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, “Another Lullaby for Insomniacs”. I so enjoyed Stallings’s pantoum, I got her book Like, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. One thing I appreciate about Stallings’s work is theContinue reading "Dyeing the Easter Eggs"
Remember
Well, I totally forgot to set up my blog post this week so I’m dashing off this quick post. Apropos of forgetting, I’m posting a haiku entitled “Remember,” which was in my third book, Shadow and Memory. RememberTo re-member, tore-collect and re-connect what time’s knife severed.
Song a Some’n Else
Walt Whitman is a celebrated American poet. His collection Leaves of Grass influenced generations of poets. While I can’t deny Whitman’s impact on American poetry, I’ve never been a fan. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as the old saying goes. “Song of Myself” is an infamous poem from Leaves of Grass. The titleContinue reading "Song a Some’n 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 don’t like it? 😆). Since it’s rained a lot the last few days, I have rain on the brain. SoContinue reading "Rain"
Psalm 41
In my new book, Voiceless Choirs: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, I poetically interact with sacred texts, such as Psalms. There are 150 psalms, so I decided to write a poem based on one of every 10. From the fifth grouping, I chose Psalm 41. There is a spiritual battle in the subtext of theContinue reading "Psalm 41"
