Beauty

. Glory in the Night It was a night like any night, when in the evening chill Cold shepherds sat...

. The Animals on Christmas Eve Some boarded dogs stayed for a while Until their owners took them home; I...

. Nativity Scene The hour draws near to midnight, and a priest Completes his preparations for the feast, Assisting at...

. The Present---Tense The partial thaw of yesterday now slips Beneath a crust of light that is white snow. This...

. Mother’s TV It numbs regretBut, better yet,Helps her forget,Lest devils spawn. It quells each thoughtOf folly’s rotLost, sold, or...

. The Tartini Tones Combination tones generated by violins of good quality can be easily heard, affecting the perception of...

. Winter’s Perfection A Zen aesthetic guides winter’s perfection--- uncluttered, austere, natural, still, subtle, embracing flaws and daring introspection, a...

. The Portrait   I dreamed I was an artist, and had made A likeness of the one I loved...

. Toward Yehuling, 1211 Unfolding steppes emerge as flattened plains Of long grasses of gold and April-green, While crystal streams,...

. Lessons in Love  inspired by William George Falconer (1922 – 2006) I. The First The photo flew from Grandad’s...

. Supplication to Erato and Melpomene Erato, decked in crimson roses; green branches of myrtle, Help me forge the words...

. Yet The withered dune grass slumps beneath a sere Gray frozen sky, as winter tag-teams fall And nighttime frost...

. Gathering in the Names for Michael Vincent Laureate Ortiz Hill (1957-2022) I'll add names to my life until I'm...

. Tuesday Afternoon I sit beside a lake and fish, And read The Captive Mind. An hour gone, I stand...

. Sister Thérèse Scatters Flowers Soeur Madèleine has brought me this bouquet--- Vermillion, scarlet, each rose bright and pretty. She’s kind...

. Child's Garden  To never end, we thought, the morning light that kissed our eyes, and breezes whispering with cherub...

. Elegy for Miran Sutherland Miran Sutherland was miscarried at 14 weeks. Read his story here. His earthly life a...

. On Ford Madox Brown's "The Last of England" Their balcony beringed with cabbages, They fix their eyes on the...

. Grifters With smug, aggressive faux urbanity __They do their worst to seize control. They think it signals perfect sanity...

. Nessun Dorma after the Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni  The aria "Nessun Dorma" was played for...

. Aunt Helen Aunt Helen told me it was time to go. It hurt her to sit upright in the...

. Advent Poem When October leaves have fallen and November skies are grey, The stores proclaim that Jesus, hope, and...

. What Geese May Teach My mother had the power that knowledge wields, So questions such as—Would you like to...

. Last Letter from Florence A recent incident recalls the fears Your letters have expressed: that seven years In this...

. . Instructions Set in Bone With my own knife, by my own hand, I carve these words in no-man’s-land...

. Boots Before Us a sequel to "Shear Wickedness" The time had come. Poor Boots was sinking low, and further...

. Late Autumn Twilight The still earth beckons sweetly.  I must go. The dry reeds on the creek have gathered round....

. For HE Who Is The Light There's been a spell of nightmares since He left. Like Job, I am...

. Somewhere in Time . Tuesday, August 13, In the Year of Our Lord 1895 Dear Wells, despite your sober...

. Ode to Winter A honeypool of sun seeps from the skies. The crisp and clingy leaves have lost their...

. God’s Finger on Whittaker Chambers My baby miracle so dear Smeared oatmeal on her face; I saw her perfect...

. Thanksgiving 2022 Today’s the day we gather and embrace The chance to join in praise for gifts we share....

. Thanksgiving Memories A honeyed ham impaled with clove; Mashed yam with bits of sweet pecan; A turkey lurking in...

. A Thanksgiving Offering We offer thanks to You who made this Earth The sun and stars, for health and...

. When Light Begins to Dim When light begins to dim and color fades, the shape of things begins to...

. Heirs to Alexander These snuff-brown mounds piled up ten thousand feet Gaze on toward Hindu Kush peaks twice their...

. Inviting Some Friends to a Birthday Dinner after Ben Jonson's "Inviting a Friend to Supper" Tonight, dear friends, you’re...

. The Elders I watched them wilt, I watched them fade, I watched them pass In the evening shade, And...

. Valiant Men The sailors brave the angry storm __As waves the ocean brings. It seems to them one hundred...

. Potina’s Charm In this excerpt from the screen novella, Potina, Lady of the Stag, Potina speaks to Kaptara, the...