
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.
treadmill thoughts…“and old sneakers,” my poem
the workout is good
no kicking or biting…says Seneca
try talking it out…
“…let immensity swell again”…“a style of song,” my poem
he sang the word
the dude ranch dog…“Oh, LeRoy!” my poem
he loved a scratch
Winesburg, Ohio…book review
it beats the Spoon River stuff…
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 Prime of Miss Jean Brodie…movie review
Maggie Smith, nonstop…
the dude ranch dog…“Oh, LeRoy!” my poem
he loved a scratch
Winesburg, Ohio…book review
it beats the Spoon River stuff…
The Book of Days…part xlix
nature poems about the dawn’s early light…
Range: Why Generalists Triumph…book review
David Epstein says it’s OK to experiment
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.
Our Ancient Faith…book review
not really a Lincoln book
The Brothers…Civil War storytelling
Jan Kovarik tells the story
Countdown 1945…book review
first person accounts
American Bonds: How Credit Markets Shaped a Nation (book review)
a big part of the American story
Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels…book review
Ian Morris talks energy
The Book of War: 25 Centuries of Great War Writing…book review
the hurt and heroics and degradation
Twilight of the Elites…book review
Our elites are corrupt, they can’t stop themselves…
Friends Divided…off the mark, a book review
not Gordon Wood’s best
Eye of the Needle…desperate but human…movie review
living and dying
Battle of Wits…crypto in WWII…book review
surprise! personalities were important…
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.
Facing East from Indian Country (book review)
Another point of view from Daniel K. Richter
The Bombing of Auschwitz…yay or nay? book review
it was a hard call…
Our Ancient Faith…book review
not really a Lincoln book
American Bonds: How Credit Markets Shaped a Nation (book review)
a big part of the American story
Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels…book review
Ian Morris talks energy
Twilight of the Elites…book review
Our elites are corrupt, they can’t stop themselves…
Friends Divided…off the mark, a book review
not Gordon Wood’s best
Origins of Modern America, 1860-1900…book review
The Gilded Age, not very pretty…
Essays Toward a Historical Theory of Big Business
The Essential Alfred Chandler…book review
21 Lessons for the 21st Century…book review
Yuval Harari is a teacher
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.
Tabula Rasa: Volume 1…book review
John McPhee cleared the decks
Stonehenge…the stones know…my poem
fingers of the gods
Are you working on the main thing?
maybe Michelangelo got distracted…
“…and hides our dreams…”…“dew not,” my poem
Away, you foggy dew!
Out of Africa…movie review
the lions know so much…
“see the new possible…”…“caper,” my poem
those silent promises
the true, the beautiful…
just take a walk…says Anne Lamott
singing the easy tunes…“la cage,” my poem
I think I had a thought…
“before it’s light…”…my poem
get started again…
No Constitutional Right to be Ladies…book review
Linda Kerber drills down…