My wife proudly describes herself as “an instigator.” This means she drops an idea in earshot of a person or two, lets them carry it out, and disappears (especially if there are consequences involved 😆). Sometimes, my wife instigates poems, usually by saying, “I have a poem idea….” or “You should write a poem aboutContinueContinue reading “County Fair”
Category Archives: About me
April Come She Will
Song lyrics combine two of my favorite things: poetry and music. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel—gorgeous music with words full of poetry, philosophy, and reflection. I play guitar so I’ve been challenging myself to learn several songs by Simon and Garfunkel. Anyone who’s listened to Simon and Garfunkel knowsContinueContinue reading “April Come She Will”
Elements
When I was in college, I took a poetry class. Looking back, I learned so much in that class; my writing changed a lot afterward. That said, I was skeptical of many things at first. The professor’s philosophy about poetry differed from mine at the time. But as I tried the things I was hearing,ContinueContinue reading “Elements”
Thankless
This might sound funny, but after becoming a Christian, one of the little things I appreciated was having someone to thank. I remember getting a chili dog at 7-11 one night, biting into it, and so enjoying the cheap, convenience store vibe of the dish that I spontaneously said, “Thank you, Lord!” As I saidContinueContinue reading “Thankless”
Psalm 1
Back in April, I mentioned I was working on a series of poems inspired by Mozart’s Requiem. My plan was not merely to rehash the Requiem’s text in a modern style but to interact with the text poetically. I hoped to write poems that reimagined the text through my personal lens while (hopefully) honoring theContinueContinue reading “Psalm 1”
Sleep
There are a fair number of things we do every day that we think little of. But when I step back and consider mundane things as if I were an outsider, I find life is full of strangeness. Now and then, I’ll look at one of my cats and say to my wife, “Isn’t itContinueContinue reading “Sleep”
Blank
Since I was traveling this past week, I am posting a day later than usual! When I returned home yesterday, the first paperback copies of my third book, Shadow and Memory were waiting. This got me thinking about today’s post. Most of the poems in Shadow and Memory were written in 2022, one of theContinueContinue reading “Blank”
Sparrows
My daughter Kate is a senior at Wilson Hill Academy, an online school she’s attended since ninth grade. Once a year, Wilson Hill students and families attend an in-person event called LINK where they have field day competitions, awards ceremonies, and graduation. This week, we’ll be traveling to Colorado to attend LINK and my daughter’sContinueContinue reading “Sparrows”
Undead
I’ve mentioned that odd thoughts stroll through my mind and into poems; or I get in a mood and write a quirky poem. Last weekend, as I was falling asleep, the first six or seven lines of the poem below jogged past. Then I couldn’t fall asleep (cue a sigh and throwing up my hands).ContinueContinue reading “Undead”
The Rhythm of Shadows
Today, I set up the Kindle version of my third book, Shadow and Memory. As I’ve mentioned, I’m hoping to self-publish it this month or next. A proof of the paperback will arrive this week so that I can make a last check for errors. I am in the home stretch! When putting together aContinueContinue reading “The Rhythm of Shadows”
A Wandering Minstrel 