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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.
Almost Complete Poems…(book review)
Stanley Moss comes up short
“Questions,” regarding Martin Luther King
we know the question
Stop running…(Guillaume Apollinaire, a quote)
…look around…
old books, souvenirs of thought…my poem
live in the past
The Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson’s version
So much believable detail
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.
“endless regret or secret happiness…”
quote from Sarah Orne Jewett
A Thousand Mornings…book review
rich Mary Oliver stuff, her poems
The Price of Salt…book review
the price of love is always right
The Old Man and the Sea…book review
the old man is a teacher
A beautiful book
Words do not fail me, here’s a review…
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.
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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.
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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.
“stop seeking the impossible…”…The Daily Stoic
commit to resisting the bad stuff
Hand me that hammer…my poem
we need to build bridges
treadmill thoughts…“and old sneakers,” my poem
the workout is good
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics…book review
Dan Harris says “even one minute counts”
no kicking or biting…says Seneca
try talking it out…
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie…movie review
Maggie Smith, nonstop…
Winesburg, Ohio…book review
it beats the Spoon River stuff…
Range: Why Generalists Triumph…book review
David Epstein says it’s OK to experiment
keep a watchful eye…and resist
do not let them go gentle…
friends can touch…my poem
“Touch,” brief moments…