Last Night’s Rain

This week’s poem is “Last Night’s Rain” from my new book, The Anonymity of Waiting. As I read it today, I wonder what emotions it evokes in readers. If any brave souls would like to share in the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I am hoping to self-publish a fifth book inContinueContinue reading “Last Night’s Rain”

Farmland

The place I hang my hat is rural, known for hay. I’m from a much bigger city but I’ve never cared for urban life. The barns, fallen outbuildings, open fields, and other features of rural terrain have a calm nostalgia I’m drawn to. Going just outside our little town is like traveling through time orContinueContinue reading “Farmland”

Trees Beg as the Wind

I am (hopefully) a week away from self-publishing my fourth full-length book, The Anonymity of Waiting. Self-publishing is always a process. When you are author, editor, cover-designer, and everything else, there’s a lot to consider, keep an eye on, and many decisions to make. And work! Then there are the unexpected things, like: when IContinueContinue reading “Trees Beg as the Wind”

The Practical Poet’s Guide to Love

Over the years, I’ve written my wife poems for anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, and just because. Today’s poem (which will be in my upcoming book, The Anonymity of Waiting) was written around the time of our 25th anniversary. It didn’t end up being an anniversary gift because I felt it lacked the gravitas equal to suchContinueContinue reading “The Practical Poet’s Guide to Love”

Grief

Yesterday, I sat down to pray because I’ve felt off and a little down all week. As I prayed, I realized I am grieving a number of things. One of my uncles passed away in September and other family members are dealing physical or mental health issues. The cumulative effect impacts my mood, sleep, andContinueContinue reading “Grief”

Break Time…

It’s time to take some time off from blogging. Friday, I got my COVID vaccine. Friday night, my arm got sore, but this was nothing new. As Saturday morning wore on, my temp hit 102.4 and stayed there until late afternoon (at which time it dropped to 101.0). I am in a feverish brain fogContinueContinue reading “Break Time…”

Hive

Probably six years ago, and much to my surprise, I was diagnosed with anxiety. While it’s normal to worry now and then, anxiety became pervasive enough that it disrupted my personal and work life. But with a little counseling and a lot of prayer, I have learned to manage it much better. Like most otherContinueContinue reading “Hive”

Useless

This week, I started working on a new luc bat poem. Luc bat is a Vietnamese form of poetry I learned about a few years ago. Since I’ve got luc bat on the brain, I decided to post a luc bat poem from my second book, Event Horizon, entitled “Useless.” UselessI’m glad some people careforContinueContinue reading “Useless”

Ron

My day job is in social services. Through my job, I get to know people in all kinds of situations. Most of them have health problems and need caregivers. Some are financially well off, some are supported and insured by the state. I work with people who have mental health issues, substance use issues, and…justContinueContinue reading “Ron”