Change is something we all live with. It’s inevitable, and we react to it in our own ways. If I’m honest, my reaction is often grief, or, at the very least, reflection. The longer I live, the more change I go through. For me, that means a lot of grief or reflection, even over thingsContinueContinue reading “Empty Hands”
Category Archives: About me
Snow at Grandma’s
Right after I decided to share this poem, I realized it might raise an eyebrow to post a poem about snow as we’re heading into summer temperatures 🤨 But maybe this will help someone stay psychologically cool 😁 “Snow at Grandma’s” was part of my first book of poems, The Wind and the Shadows. SnowContinueContinue reading “Snow at Grandma’s”
Dyed in Faith
The semi-sabbatical I took in April is over. I was loath to see it end, but it was the time of rest and prayer I needed. As a result, I decided to reduce my schedule going forward so I can continue to give more space to God and my family. Years ago, I wrote aContinueContinue reading “Dyed in Faith”
air and light and time and space
In another post, I talked about the impact Charles Bukowski had on my conception of poetry and how I write. One of his poems—“air and light and time and space”—has always stuck with me; at some point in the last year I realized it has long been part of my philosophy of writing, albeit subconsciously.ContinueContinue reading “air and light and time and space”
Once More
April brings up a host of feelings for me. Warmer weather begins, which I love. Easter is often in April, infusing this month with the hope of Christ’s resurrection and the destruction of death. For now, death is still a reality we face, and April 2009 is when my dad died. Dad’s death has twoContinueContinue reading “Once More”
Sabbath
For a number of months, I have felt like I need more space in my life—space to reflect and re-evaluate some things, space for rest, and space for God. As I prayed and thought about this, I felt directed to take a semi-sabbatical in April. Other than going to work and church, I am takingContinueContinue reading “Sabbath”
Slugging It Out
Writing has been a slog the last couple weeks. I’ve got 4 or 5 poems that I haven’t been able to finish for one reason or another. So, like any writer worth his salt, I wrote a poem the other day about how hard writing has been 😆 Slugging It OutIt’s not writer’s block,it’s writer’sContinueContinue reading “Slugging It Out”
February ‘23
As Valentine’s Day came to a close last week, I came down with a cold. This got me thinking about Valentine’s Day last year: My wife had vertigo, and I had a high fever with a side of congestion (COVID or influenza, I’m guessing). Let me tell ya, the romance was high 😆 Such aContinueContinue reading “February ‘23”
The Crow
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven is one of the more notorious poems of all time. For the uninitiated, the basic story is this: a raven visits the narrator, who is mourning his lost love, and repeats the word “Nevermore” until the narrator loses it. (“Nevermore” seems to be an eternal drain of despair opening below the narrator’sContinueContinue reading “The Crow”
A Poem about Cheese
Sometime last fall, my son and I were playing the video game “Civilization VI,” which (as the name suggests) is a civilization-building game. Various junctures of the game feature quotes, and this particular fall day, the quote was from GK Chesterton: “Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.” I laughed aloud…typical Chesterton. But IContinueContinue reading “A Poem about Cheese”
A Wandering Minstrel 