Back in September, I was poised to release a chapbook of cat poems. However, I had to delay the release because I inadvertently submitted one of the cat poems to a journal. Well, the journal declined to publish any of my poems, so I’ll be releasing the cat chapbook soon. I just need to doContinueContinue reading “Babies Are for Locking Up”
Category Archives: Free verse
Nothing to Sneeze At
I’m about half-way to finishing my fourth book, The Anonymity of Waiting, which I plan to self-publish in 2024. Below is a poem about something that goes through my mind from time to time when people sneeze. (Yes, there is philosophy even in a sneeze 😆). Because of its timelessness, wisdom is often mistaken asContinueContinue reading “Nothing to Sneeze At”
At the Old Mission
My in-laws used to live in North Dakota. On our way to visit a couple times, we stopped at Old Mission State Park in Cataldo, Idaho. The mission (which was founded by Jesuits in the early 1850s) sits atop a beautiful, grassy hill. As a Christian, it is a testament to the sacrifices God’s peopleContinueContinue reading “At the Old Mission”
Driving through the Fog
There’s a bit of the Romantic in me, so I’ve always loved fog. For me, it conjures a sense of mystery (bordering on the supernatural), solitude (my favorite!), and introspection. Below is a poem from my first book, The Wind and the Shadows. On one level, it’s a poem about driving on a foggy day.ContinueContinue reading “Driving through the Fog”
Visionaries
In my neck of the woods, we are staggering towards fall. High temps lurch between the upper 80s and mid 70s but the lows are in the 40s. A few leaves have already fallen. “Visionaries” is a poem I wrote in the early ‘90s. It isn’t in any of my self-published books, but it isContinueContinue reading “Visionaries”
Not a Car
Recently, I mentioned I started setting up my cat chapbook for publication. It is pretty much ready to go but I made the decision to delay its release. Why? Without thinking, I submitted one of my cat poems to a journal. When I started sending poems to journals, I learned quickly that most won’t publishContinueContinue reading “Not a Car”
County Fair
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”
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”
A Tongue
Spiritual experience can be hard to put into words because it’s often beyond words. This is probably why the Bible is full of visions, parables, dreams, and poetry. Imagery, metaphor, and symbolism are sometimes the best ways to express the inexpressible. Paradox can also be useful in understanding and communicating things of the spirit. ChristContinueContinue reading “A Tongue”
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”
A Wandering Minstrel 