“Gene, You’re Slowing Down”

Hello friends, Aging is not for the young, as the saying goes. These days my balance seems to be wobbly, and my footsteps are not as certain as they once were. I take an occasional tumble to remind myself that dignity is one of the most fleeting…

The better angels of poetry

Hello friends, it is not only others who ask "where poems come from" or "what does this poem mean?" Often poets themselves don't know how inspiration arrives; we amuse ourselves thinking we are entertaining muses unaware, much as some like to…

Celebrating an Inclusive World

Hi, friends, I like to think of myself as a political and religious progressive. But I was very impressed by the Windsor wedding in 2018 as a creative blend of old and new. So I wrote a poem about it with an "ecological" turn. Enjoy. Thanks.…

A Pope Who Blows Kisses

Hello friends. The pontificate of Francis has been unique in many ways. Some of these ways have not been met with open arms or acceptance, whether from the Curia in Rome or Catholic parishioners in America. Yet Francis seems a Pope for our times, and willing to humbly seek forgiveness later than ask permission first.

“The Hard and the Soft”

Hello friends, with springtime here I'm reminded that new growth and wild green everywhere means renewed life and a hopeful season. What looks fragile and tentative in April will be hardy and strong in May storms and summer heat. As my poem…