. . . Steve Cooper is a retired professional career counselor. He lives near Salem, Oregon. He has one traditionally...

. Periwinkle Don't know that I was on the spectrum, no, But I was weird. I read too much and...

. A Winter's Tale There’re many strange and spooky tales, That come from England’s hills and dales. When Winter tightens...

. Get Along, Little DOGE-ie Should come a day my fortunes be increased, It’s guaranteed such bounty will be fleeced....

. Salmon Skin _Laid temptingly Upon a china dish, _Poached perfectly, A long, pink flank of fish. _Its scents amaze....

. What Is a Man? “Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child?” ---Jeremiah 30:...

. The Weight of a Father . I. The Smell of Sawdust On bawling-brother, busy-mother days, The saint who slew...

. Shakespeare The Master strolled upon the beach, __And stooped to find Among the shells washed up in heaps, __Mere...

. Florida Beach Vacation 2025 They buried me in pale white sand. _They took away my phone. The mouse was...

. Term Limits Without term limits, nothing prevents the eruption of bribery, graft, and unbridled corruption. Too few of our...

. When the Child Appears by Victor Hugo (1802-1885)translated from French by Bruce Phenix When the child appears, the family’s...

. Boomerang He was a very handsome guy, Cute girls would stick to him like glue, And his interest in...

. Ode to Chronic Pain I curse your name and spit as you supply these diverse proofs that I am...

. Reading in Bed Crowded years from now, and late one wintry night, a certain turn of phrase or trick...

. Stealthy Slayer Stealthy slayer, murderous sneak, A crafty trick, or lifeless freak--- I slip behind your walls unseen Despite...

. Durus Frater, Alma Mater Spring forward to where former arch-rivals Fall back on tall stories of the travels They...

. https://youtu.be/vAjMoMKye0c . . Andrew Benson Brown‘s epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, chronicles the major events of the American Revolution. He writes...

. Alotta Lip About my Hip Alotta lip about my hip On paper, phone, computer-drive. The new one at my...

. Samhain Spree Come, gather underneath the horns _That rise out of the east! Come, join the host in revelry...

. An Update for Dylan Thomas’s Aunt "Fie on you, aunt! I’ll show you how To elevate your middle brow,...

. Time and Place He gave me his coat once in Dublin At dusk in a damp, chilly draft. We...

. Soldier of the Rising Sun Date/Location: February 19, 1974---Uninhabited jungle, Lubang Island in the northern Philippines. The matter: Believing...

. Double Rondel for Pentecost Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! O fire that warms my soul, You burn within to turn...

. On Twenty Years of YouTube Dull dinner party video clips unshared shaped YouTube’s genesis, or so it’s claimed. Yet...

. Auntie Barb ---a pantoum She cuts the cheats and charmers to the quick—Her tongue will skin a scoundrel in...

. The Legend of Zhong Kui Zhong Kui is pronounced like “Jong Quay” One dark and dour winter day His...

. Roads of Potter County Finally Spring has come north here---Always my favorite time of year.Potter will tease you in...

. In Urbe Hortus ---June afternoon in the South Garden of the Art Institute of Chicago Hard stone and brick,...

. My Fairytale You could be my Cinderella _I danced with at the ball. You’re the one I’m looking for...

. In Her Fair Foundry, Nature Forges Art by Claude Gaspar Bachet de Meziriac (1581-1638) translated from French by Josh...

. Lost Ark ---upon reading of the hunt for the Ark of the Covenant It used to be, a life...

. Since You’ve Been at My Side ---a villanelle Embraced by love, since you’ve been at my sideI’ve found the...

. To a Virginia Bluebell You nod to me across the trail That runs before my garden seat. With clustered...

. Still Life of a Bouquet Seems wrong to me that flowers die, A live display of borrowed time, To...

. Folk Heroes We’re told to laud our new folk heroes, but they’re made up by woke zeroes. always stirring...

. Frivolity from Quality Her works of elegance and style create frivolity, When book producers cluelessly reject such quality. But...

. The Institute of Peace: Constitution Avenue, N.E. The Institute of Peace looks down on LincolnFrom high atop her perch...

. A Walk in Solitude I strolled a path in solitude As snow and frosty winds renewed. The night was...

. Song of the Heron by Ueda Bin (after the French of Emile Verhaeren) translated from Japanese by Yoshikaze Kawakami...

. A Taste of Northern New England I’ll never feel at home in Robert Frost’s Vermont—too many deconstructed walls, And...