Missing Pieces
The pieces sit
on the table.
You link them
one-by-one.
When you are
almost done,
you realize some
are missing.
Their outlines remain,
but the picture
will never be
complete again.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Missing Pieces
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Dream Voyage
Dream Voyage
I used to dream
of sailing in
the ships of old.
Tall and tilting
in the wind,
throwing a spray,
salty and cold.
I would stand on
the deck at night
and use the stars
to chart the course.
Day after day, we
would move as one.
Fearless and
adventuresome.
The ship, the sea
and me.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
A Natural Scribbler
A Natural Scribbler
What is the
patch of yellow
sitting on the lawn?
A leaf with squiggly lines
scribbled on one end.
Could it be a poem
by Mother Nature?
Did she write it down
by Mother Nature?
Did she write it down
while on her rounds?
Did the loss of her
loose-leaf notes cause panic?
No, Mother Nature
doesn't want for backup.
She has her choice of clouds.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Rocks in your Path
Rocks in your Path
Rocks in your path
are very disturbing.
As a matter of fact,
they are perturbing.
Are they there
to block your way
or do they have
something to say?
Are they a sign
that you should stop?
Stay where you are;
let your anchor drop?
Perhaps they
could help you see
your future
a little differently.
Let you step up and
look at the view
of the things you
still could do.
Give you some time
to decide if what you see
is worth the climb.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Shielded
Shielded
You are shielded both day and night.
Protected from the falling rain.
The constant pounding that could maim.
The wind that blows with all its might
won't strike you if you just sit tight.
Be patient or you could get hurt.
Be beaten down into the dirt.
Relax and let me be the one
to take the hits so you take none.
Don't worry, you will be all right.
This is one version of a poetic form known as decima. There are 10 eight-syllable lines and the rhyme scheme is: ABBAACCDDC. Thanks to Robert Lee Brewer for discussing this form on his blog, Poetic Asides. Click the link to read more about decima.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Change of Seasons
Change of Seasons
Summer turns to autumn.
Leaves turn red and gold.
Warmth turns to coolness.
Thoughts turn to change.
Autumn turns to winter.
Trees turn bare.
Coolness turns to cold.
Thoughts turn to snow.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Night Music
Night Music
The cats played
through the night.
The sounds were
out of sight.
Tabby beat the drums.
Alley added strums.
Shorthair set the tone
with his saxophone.
Beagle wandered in.
Gave Shorthair some skin.
"OK if I sing?"
"As long as you swing."
This came out of a writing exercise I did with my writers group. The prompt was to write about an animal. One of the members was teasing me and asked that I include a saxophone in my piece.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Missing Pieces
Missing Pieces
A piece torn off
by storm or worn
until it lets go.
The means don't
matter--it's gone.
How to go on?
By accepting,
perhaps forgiving,
simply by living.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
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