
Poetry and insights
I’m in love with words, and I love to use the right words to create poems that have clarity and character. I think of my work as “literal poetry.” I don’t put my pen down until I’ve said exactly what I feel, exactly what I mean to say, so that you, as the reader or listener, will have no doubt about it. I want to write poems that don’t need to be explained—what you see is what it is. I want to write poems that express deep human emotions, and very thoughtful observations, and very precise meanings. I am a poet, a writer, a teacher, a moralist, a historian and an unflinching student of human nature. I think a lot. I strive to express truth and give context—both rational and emotional—to reality. I think words can be pictures, and lovely songs, and bodacious scents, and private flavors, and early morning caresses that wake each part of me, one at a time. I know some of those words, and, from time to time, I write some of them.
changing the world into words…Bill Gass said it
a kind of alchemy
“this dream that fills our sky”…my poem
how happiness arrives
The Book of Days…part li
nature poems about the dawn’s early light…
“moonish,” a wasted wafer…my poem
just waiting at dawn
Romantic historical fiction…don’t you love it?
per Rafael Sabatini, no less…
Book Reviews and insights
Reading is part of my life. Old books are companions—they have a palpable essence that will never be duplicated in an eBook reader. I can live with books, inter librorum copias. I don’t read too many novels, although I’m partial to 19th century American and English writers like Dickens and Hawthorne and O. Henry. I’m happy when I’m reading aloud. I wish that I may live long enough to read at least most of the books in my library.
The Demon of Unrest…book review
Erik Larson tells the whole story of Ft. Sumter
changing the world into words…Bill Gass said it
a kind of alchemy
Romantic historical fiction…don’t you love it?
per Rafael Sabatini, no less…
Aging: An Apprenticeship…book review
How to live so you’re ready to die…
Iron Tears…book review
Did the British really try to win?
Historical insights
I think it’s difficult to be a sensitive and sensible human being without some knowledge of history and its enduring elements. An insufficient understanding of history is an impediment to decent participation in human society. I am particularly intrigued by the systematic methods of the French Annalistes to examine the deep structures (longues durées) of history. Awareness and understanding of history allow us to create and sustain a mindful context for our past and present adventures.
The Demon of Unrest…book review
Erik Larson tells the whole story of Ft. Sumter
Iron Tears…book review
Did the British really try to win?
The Pioneers by David McCullough…book review
bona fide McCullough, erudite prose
No Constitutional Right to be Ladies…book review
Linda Kerber drills down…
John Adams…book review
David McCullough tells a good story of a good life
Old Henry…a movie review
speaking of Billy the Kid
The Donkeys…book review
remembering World War I
Night by Elie Wiesel…book review
his first story about the camps
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War…book review
the Pilgrims weren’t happy, says Nathaniel Philbrick
Facing East from Indian Country (book review)
Another point of view from Daniel K. Richter
Politics: thoughts and insights
Yelling isn’t my style. I am a committed and, I think, well-informed liberal progressive. It’s my intention to avoid presenting any political commentaries that are doctrinaire, abusive, deliberately hateful or contrary to “…a decent respect to the opinions of mankind…” Maybe you’ll recognize those words from the Declaration of Independence. I respect the value and the necessity of dedicated support for the preservation of the public good. I’m willing to offer my considerations of what constitutes the public good.
The Demon of Unrest…book review
Erik Larson tells the whole story of Ft. Sumter
Age Power…book review
Old people are who it’s all about…
“stop seeking the impossible…”…The Daily Stoic
commit to resisting the bad stuff
Hand me that hammer…my poem
we need to build bridges
keep a watchful eye…and resist
do not let them go gentle…
The Pioneers by David McCullough…book review
bona fide McCullough, erudite prose
No Constitutional Right to be Ladies…book review
Linda Kerber drills down…
John Adams…book review
David McCullough tells a good story of a good life
The Donkeys…book review
remembering World War I
A Room of One’s Own…book review
A Virginia Woolf story
Tidbits
Occasional items that tickle your funny bone, or point your mind in a new direction, or invite you to stop for a moment and listen to what your heart is telling you.
changing the world into words…Bill Gass said it
a kind of alchemy
The Picture of Dorian Gray…classic?…movie review
The 1973 version is the best of more than 30
Aging: An Apprenticeship…book review
How to live so you’re ready to die…
the baby seats, step right up…my poem
we know the kids who will use them
“You aren’t good enough…”
sez who?…sez Sally Field (quote)
“Speak like rain.” Isak Dinesen’s story
in her novel, Out of Africa
don’t cross the buck’s trail…my poem
a walk in the woods
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day…movie review
and lives happily ever after…
“stop seeking the impossible…”…The Daily Stoic
commit to resisting the bad stuff
Hand me that hammer…my poem
we need to build bridges