This week, I’ll 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 ofContinueContinue reading “Looking Down the Road”
Category Archives: About me
The Clock Ticks
Writing is a process that even writers find mysterious. There’s no one way to write. Every poem is its own journey, and I’m 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 inContinueContinue reading “The Clock Ticks”
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” isContinueContinue reading “Wonders”
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.
Jays and Nuthatches
Officially, it’s been fall since September 22nd but with temps in the 70s and 80s, it hasn’t felt like it yet. Still, fall is hinting to summer that it’s time to go; leaves are already on the ground, and it was in the 40s when I got up yesterday. I’ve paid more attention to birdsContinueContinue reading “Jays and Nuthatches”
Lifespan
Sometime in July, we realized a cricket had taken up residence in our outside stairwell. Every night (and sometimes during the day) he chirped away; that chirp became part of the family (or at least a weird neighbor), and my wife named him Jiminy (a nod to Disney’s Pinocchio, naturally). Given that Jiminy is theContinueContinue reading “Lifespan”
Shock
One day, I had a serious thought. But for some reason, I processed this serious thought using playful variations of familiar phrases. Somehow, out of that mess, today’s poem was born. I’ve written poetry and music for about 35 years. But at the end of the day, the creative process is a mystery to me.ContinueContinue reading “Shock”
Cat with a Mona Lisa Smile
Usually, I post Sunday morning but at 9:00 tonight I realized I forgot! Monday morning will have to do, I suppose. I was going to blame being tired because my cats woke me up at 5:30 this morning. Then I remembered I usually write my posts on Saturday and schedule them to post on Sunday.ContinueContinue reading “Cat with a Mona Lisa Smile”
Doing Nothing
I can be…driven, goal-oriented. I am usually working on something and have very little idle time. But today, I feel a little lazy. Granted, it’s the weekend, and by 2:15 Saturday afternoon (when I am writing this), I’ve already worked on a poem, attended two ministry-related meetings, and mowed both my lawns. So maybe I’mContinueContinue reading “Doing Nothing”
S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W
This past Friday, my daughter and I went to a concert: My Chemical Romance kicked off their reunion tour in Seattle. The Violent Femmes opened. MCR’s performance was pretty epic, full of theater, energy, flashing lights, and pyrotechnics. They played for about two and a half hours and never slowed down. Lyrics are a closeContinueContinue reading “S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W”
A Wandering Minstrel 