This is another poem about life's ups and downs with a touch of a music analogy thrown in.
Rhythms of Life
Bashful or boasting
Careful or crashing
Grateful or grieving
Joyful or jarring
Peaceful or pounding
Soulful or shocking
All you can do
is keep moving
to the beat.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Rhythms of Life
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.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Impressionism
I have mentioned before that I draw inspiration from the visual arts. Sometimes a specific work will give me an idea. Often, spending time at a museum or gallery seems to jumpstart the writing process for me. This poem is about a group of artists whose work I enjoy.
Impressionism
Artists suggest
the scene.
Patrons fill in
the details.
All take
ownership
for the part
of themselves
they leave behind
in each piece.
Impressionism
Artists suggest
the scene.
Patrons fill in
the details.
All take
ownership
for the part
of themselves
they leave behind
in each 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.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Lifetime Guarantee
I wrote this poem after seeing an exhibit at Kansas City's regional office of the National Archives. The exhibit was about the year 1968. As I was reading about and remembering the various events that took place that year, I could feel some of the emotion I attached to those events coming back, too.
Lifetime Guarantee
Repaint the scene.
Replay the words.
Recall the action
and the reaction.
As you do,
the feelings
creep up on you.
Time passed
is irrelevant.
Emotions have
no expiration date.
Lifetime Guarantee
Repaint the scene.
Replay the words.
Recall the action
and the reaction.
As you do,
the feelings
creep up on you.
Time passed
is irrelevant.
Emotions have
no expiration date.
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, January 4, 2011
Resolutions
New Year's resolutions tend to be heavy on the declaration and light on the follow through.
Resolutions
In the new year,
I will make
the changes necessary
so that both
me and my world
will be perfect
in my eyes.
What's that?
I can never
make that happen?
I thought the question was
"Did I make any resolutions?"
not "Will I keep them?"
Resolutions
In the new year,
I will make
the changes necessary
so that both
me and my world
will be perfect
in my eyes.
What's that?
I can never
make that happen?
I thought the question was
"Did I make any resolutions?"
not "Will I keep them?"
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.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
I have noticed my holiday poems seem to focus on food. This one is about Christmas Eve dinner.
Christmas Cuisine
Sisters scurry
around the kitchen.
Shrimp sizzles
in the skillet
and linguini simmers
in the saucepan.
Scents of garlic,
lemon and butter
fill the air.
The transfer is made
from pans to plates.
Parsley flakes fall
on food and floor,
like the snow
that covers roads
on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Cuisine
Sisters scurry
around the kitchen.
Shrimp sizzles
in the skillet
and linguini simmers
in the saucepan.
Scents of garlic,
lemon and butter
fill the air.
The transfer is made
from pans to plates.
Parsley flakes fall
on food and floor,
like the snow
that covers roads
on Christmas Eve.
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, December 16, 2010
My mother made Christmas cookies before the days of prepackaging. She made the dough from scratch and also did things like shell nuts and even shave some with a potato peeler. She made at least eight different kinds of cookies and each recipe made several dozen.
The Mountains of Christmas
Mountains lined the buffet
and rose from folding tables
setup just for the season.
Brown sugar and nuts
yielded the darkest terrain.
Pinwheels were stacked into
mounds of red and green.
Frosting and sprinkles created
a glittery landscape.
Powdered sugar provided
a snow-like dusting.
Looking up from the
valley of childhood,
I knew I couldn't
scale these peaks,
but I could take
a little off the top.
The Mountains of Christmas
Mountains lined the buffet
and rose from folding tables
setup just for the season.
Brown sugar and nuts
yielded the darkest terrain.
Pinwheels were stacked into
mounds of red and green.
Frosting and sprinkles created
a glittery landscape.
Powdered sugar provided
a snow-like dusting.
Looking up from the
valley of childhood,
I knew I couldn't
scale these peaks,
but I could take
a little off the top.
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, December 7, 2010
All of the stories about Pearl Harbor brought back some memories so I wrote the following:
Emotional Ties
I stood in line
on a bright summer day
trying to imagine
the utter bedlam
that took place
in such a beautiful setting.
I read the history and
even saw some of
the physical wreckage.
I heard stories of
those who were there
and those who just
missed being there.
This visit brought
me closer, but
I still only understood
Pearl Harbor intellectually
until September 11, 2001.
Emotional Ties
I stood in line
on a bright summer day
trying to imagine
the utter bedlam
that took place
in such a beautiful setting.
I read the history and
even saw some of
the physical wreckage.
I heard stories of
those who were there
and those who just
missed being there.
This visit brought
me closer, but
I still only understood
Pearl Harbor intellectually
until September 11, 2001.
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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