Category Archives: Free verse

Planting the Ocean

I don’t always know what poems mean, even my own. That is one irony of imagery: it speaks to us in ways we can’t articulate. In a sense, imagery allows language to transcend itself, to say what can’t be said. My new book, The Anonymity of Waiting, has a number of poems like this, poemsContinueContinue reading “Planting the Ocean”

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”

The Anonymity of Waiting Now Available

My fourth full-length book of poetry, The Anonymity of Waiting, is now available on Amazon in paperback and e-book versions 😊 I hope folks will check it out and order one. Heck, order a few and give poetry for Christmas 😉🎅 The Anonymity of WaitingThe longer I wait in this pub,the more I become partContinueContinue reading “The Anonymity of Waiting Now Available”

Election Day

Well, with elections happening this Tuesday in the United States, I suppose posting a poem about elections was inevitable 😆 Below is a poem from my second book, Event Horizon. I wrote “Election Day” on election day in 2020. At the risk of stating the obvious, elections are emotionally complicated affairs, regardless of your beliefsContinueContinue reading “Election Day”

Fourth Horse and Seven Years to Go

Image by Nina Paley / apocalypseanimated.com With elections approaching and many other sources of dis-ease in the world, I thought I’d share “Fourth Horse and Seven Years to Go,” a poem I am (pretty much) finished with, which will be in a future book. ”Fourth Horse” is a work of whimsical angst, which has meContinueContinue reading “Fourth Horse and Seven Years to Go”

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”

Checking Out

All of us (even the introverts) are curious about other people. It might not be far off the mark to say we’re intensely curious about other people. While that curiosity is reigned in by some serious socialization, it doesn’t go away. It’s one of those unspoken things we share but don’t talk about. Poetry canContinueContinue reading “Checking Out”

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”

Soaked Through

It has been raining off and on where I live. We’ve had a couple lightning storms, which were exciting, but mostly it’s been wet. With rain on the brain, I thought I’d post a poem I wrote during another rainy season entitled, “Soaked Through.” This poem was part of my third collection, Shadow and Memory.ContinueContinue reading “Soaked Through”