In other posts, I’ve mentioned I’m working on my fourth book, The Anonymity of Waiting. Well, at some point last year I started working on a fifth book at the same time. It started with poems based on the text of Mozart’s Requiem Mass. From there, I moved on to writing poems based on Psalms. I originally thought allContinueContinue reading “Caverns”
Category Archives: Spiritual / religious poetry
Yule-icide
How did it get to be the week before Christmas? This year, I feel like every holiday (not to mention birthdays) snuck up behind me in stocking feet and yelled, “BOO!” There wasn’t time to prepare, decorate, buy things…only time to be startled and jump. Below is a poem I wrote last year during Christmas andContinueContinue reading “Yule-icide”
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”
Bang Head Here
It’s official: This week, I beat my personal record for rewrites. I’ve been working on poems based on the Psalms, and got a nice draft of Psalm 137 going. Twenty versions of the poem later, I’m almost done. Most of those 20 versions were spent trying to get the first stanza to my liking. IContinueContinue reading “Bang Head Here”
Sun God
“Sun God” is the final poem in my new book, Shadow and Memory. It is a tanka, a Japanese poetic form of five lines. Similar to its three line cousin, haiku, each line has a set number of syllables. Before presenting this poem, I thought I’d say a few words about my approach to writingContinueContinue reading “Sun God”
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”
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”
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”
A Wandering Minstrel 