Poetry

 I didn't write poetry until tenth grade. I didn't want to write poetry. I wanted to write novels and become an "author" - imagine this in large, block, Hollywood sign type lettering, spoken with sweeping arm gestures. My tenth grade honors English teacher invited (assigned, encouraged, demanded) our class to try poetry. I did, and to my horror, I discovered I liked it. 

In fact, it was fun. I liked writing silly poems, serious poems, romantic poems, found poems, visual poems, collage poems, poems in rhyming verse, and poems in blank verse. 

Poetry is a place where I often go to play with words, rhythm, syllables, and the play of space and letters on the page. My first unpaid publication was an angry poem in college. My second paid publication was a poem in my thirties. I still like it. 

Even with a bit of professional published poetry, I still feel like poetry is a place to play, explore, and try new things. I'm still a student here, and I'm happy to be one. What follows on this page is partially a list of published poems, and partially a group of old poems to read.

"Tacks Between Us." The Drabble. July 17, 2020.

"in the distance." The Firefly Collective. May 5, 2020.

Sticks and Stones. The Drabble. March 22, 2020.

"My Father's Eyes." The Drabble. March 22, 2019.

But the Snow Falls... The Drabble. February 26, 2019.

Image by Tyrean

Strong Together

body, heart, mind, soul

all are sickened by pain

so I cannot stand

when I call the physician

who does not believe

when I suck in the pain

I call and call him

and I get no answer

so I call a new doctor

then another and another

until I get tests

and find more than one answer

three issues wrong in my body

or possibly there are five

I start to lost count of them

in my buzzing hive

of emotions, spirit, mind

all wrapped in a dive

spiraling from life into

death downward

until I find the right path

to walk forward

through surgeries, hugs,

fervent prayers poured

into my body to

reawaken my heart

to renew my mind

to create soul art

out of stained glass

strong together, not apart.

Strong Together. Leaves of Ink. May 18, 2018.

Image by Tyrean

"I Didn't Know His Name" at The Drabble. March 2017. (Prose poem)

"Worries in the Sand" at A Story in 100 Words. March 20th, 2017. (prose poem)

"Rain Vigil" at A Story in 100 Words. 11/12/2016. (prose poem/story)

"Waves" at Leaves of Ink. 11/8/2016.

"Entwined" at The Skinny Poetry Journal. June 2016. 

"Blue Fairy Wish"  at Seven by Twenty. April 2016.
"Our Flag's Colors"  at Seven by Twenty. April 2016.
"Broken Gray"  at Seven by Twenty. April 2016.
"Coffee Musk" at Seven By Twenty. April 2016.

"Fruit Sale Cinquain." Every Day Poets. July 30th, 2012. (Poem)

"here or there" at Every Day Poets, October 5th, 2011. (poem)

Image by Tyrean

Octopus Rising at Every Day Poets June 15, 2011 (poem)

april second at Every Day Poets April 2, 2011 (poem)

New Hope at Yahoo Associated Content March 23, 2011 (poem)

Image by Tyrean

Breaking the Stillness at Every Day Poets February 9, 2011 (poem)

Black Diamonds at Every Day Poets December 22, 2010. (poem)

"Embers." Moon Drenched Fables. Fall 2010 issue. Link is broken, and Moon Drenched Fables has gone out of publication. (poem)

My Mother's Compost at Every Day Poets September 25, 2010. (poem)

March Snow Hare at Every Day Poets March 16, 2010 (poem)

 Night Terrors at Every Day Poets October 10, 2009. (poem)

Echoes at Haruah 2009. (poem)

Grace Unexpected at Every Day Poets July 23, 2009. (poem)

"Something Like Fencing." Western Front: Western Washington University Newspaper. December 4, 1992. (a truly terrible poem)

"Selling Dreams." Western Front: Western Washington University Newspaper. November 20, 1992. (Could have been good, if I had just changed two words . . .those were my angry, "use whatever words I want" days.)

"Like a Cold Winter Morning." Western Front: Western Washington University Newspaper. October 23, 1992. (poem)