Culture

. After If ---with affection and all respect for dear Rudyard If you can keep your heart when all about you Are stretching reason to its reasoned end; Ignore all form and pretense, without scoffing, And jesting always, care that none offend; If you refuse to wait, but praise each...

. On Never Giving Up On reaching the point where it's tough to find answers to _“What-are-we-doing-this-for?” And the number of people that “couldn't-care-less” _Surpasses the “couldn't-care-more,” Always look back to the point where you started, _Examine the worth of your cause, Stir your resolve by reminding your Courage _That...

. There Are No Words ---on the July 4th Texas flash floods There are no words to quell a swell of grief That swallows hope and snatches at the breath Of those who gasp in startled disbelief At onscreen scenes of rising tides and death Surging in a roiling swirl...

. The Juggler ---with special kudos to George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg, Taylor Swift, Susan Sarandon, Tom Hanks, Mark Hamill, Robert DeNiro and a cast of far too many  If the Juggler has said it, it must needs be true For the Juggler sees deeper than I do. Or you. How...

. Optimism ---to the Class of 2025 The world is cold and hard and dark enough; We need not cloud it with our own despair. And it is furnished, too, with joyous stuff, And you may find a blessing anywhere You turn your eyes, if they are opened wide— The...

. Never Time to Spare ---a villanelle My daughter, I am watching you with love for I’ve been there, When dishes overflow the sink and books are everywhere, When everyday seems just the same with never time to spare. I see you take a breath and smile and separate a...

. Bodie The whistled whispers of a desert wind Drift through the dusty streets and haunted halls Where faded lives of those who loved and sinned Now flicker-flit like shadows on the walls. Unhinged, once swinging doors lie on the floor Of the saloon where ghosts of miners, dry And...

. Independence Day, 2025 It’s so much more than red and white and blue And stars that spangle banners flying high. It’s something strong and stark and deep and true. It burns with answers to the question why Souls ache to slip a granite-fisted grip. It’s something fierce that flickers...

. IRL —after G.K. Chesterton’s "A Ballad of Theatricals" (reprinted below) Though all the emails I receive—surprisingly politely read—Although the students can deceive,Although the work is fast indeed,Although, the angel in the chatShe comes by wifi not by wings,Though all the programming seems pat,Believe me, there are real things. Yes,...

. On the Existence of Two Genders Note: This poem is written in response to the trans-driven push to promulgate the idea that gender is either non-binary or does not exist at all---a nonsensical notion which is nevertheless gaining ideologically-driven traction as official policy in numerous “progressive” medical, legal and...

. Therapy ---After "Help! I Can’t Stop Speaking in Iambic!" by Cynthia Erlandson Help! I can’t stop writing psychobabble!No matter what I pen, it comes out gabble. I scribble nonsense verses all the time,self-actualize through crafting metered rhyme. Long past the age of addled, callow youth,I'm still endeavoring to find...

. Every Square Inch Her every square inch, her breath, and her voice, In all this and more my soul can rejoice. The beat from her heart, the wink from her eye, The times she is bold, and then she is shy. The cute upturned nose, and the curve of...

. Rolling the Dice “Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist.” ---Stephen Hawking, The Grand Design At the start of creation, before the beginning, we’re told there was nothing, except two dice spinning somewhere beyond time, but when they...

. A Whale is a Whale ---after Ogden Nash While laughing aloud at Ogden's smart rhymes, I was struck by a way to interpret his lines. Though Nash's reputation was not as a Buddhist, An ode to signlessness might be the truest. We see how the author takes pains to...

. Hope ---in homage to Langston Hughes Hold steadfastly to hopeFor if hope should subsideLife’s a slippery slopeWhere dreams only collide. . . Equal Wisdom I dreamed of the ability_To say things that were wise,When young it was the growth I hoped for_Most in years ahead.But slowly I discovered that_An...

. Dad and I Our sessions last an hour or two at most, for we get through them just as fast as can be managed, trying not to stir the ghost of hurts supposed to help me be a man. When Dad was young, he knew exactly what the world...

. Rodrigo’s Lament The legendary knight El Cid duels with his fiancé’s father. His rasping knavish voice profanes my good name. It grates my ears, now content I am no more To let insult to me like this slide. I shore Up courage to act---none question El Cid’s fame. Sword...

. New York, New York “Give up Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island too…” (with apologies to Rodgers & Hart) How many songs about New York are in my repertoire?I don’t think I can sing them now. The city’s history.Give my alarm to Broadway. Coney Island, au revoir.You’ve picked a...

. Doctor Subtilis ---Blessed John Duns Scotus (1265--1308) A proud and canny Scot from Duns am I, an infant when Franciscans reached our coast. These friars gave me tools to weigh the why of doctrines puzzling theologians most. Northhampton brothers shaped my childish mind. My tutors sent me then to...

. Another Species Each time you felt some shame you could confess The sins you had committed, but instead You whispered a revision, something less In someone’s ear in yet another bed. That is to say, you were quite off your head, And took it out on everyone you knew....

. Six Bitter were the crimson seeds, Beautiful they were to me, Sparkling like ruby beads, In his palm of ivory. Dark they were to look upon, Rivers rushing down to mix: Phlegethon and Acheron, Lethe, Cocytus, and Styx. Bitter did they roar and weep, Yet harmonious to me, Singing...

. The Prayer Blanket ---as related to me by my friend Tim Cassar, who recently survived a brain cancer operation by Brian Yapko The paramedics came. They took my friend To where there was no earthly pain or fear. Of course, he worried this might be the end--- But Tim...

. Clueless ---a villanelle How can I tell what is and isn’t true In daffy days that stupefy the wise? I’m sifting through the chaos for a clue. As brain cells dwindle to a fruitless few All down to AI’s messianic rise, How can I tell what is and isn’t...

. Salmon Skin _Laid temptingly Upon a china dish, _Poached perfectly, A long, pink flank of fish. _Its scents amaze. Fork poised to dig right in, _I stop and gaze, Fixated on its skin: _Smooth gradient From silver-white to black _Of radiant Small mirrors shining back _The candles’ light, Mosaic...

. What Is a Man? “Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child?” ---Jeremiah 30: 6 The prophet’s statement clearly is sarcastic; That men cannot birth children is well-known. But now we’re told we may not look askance At anyone who claims he can (with...

. Shakespeare The Master strolled upon the beach, __And stooped to find Among the shells washed up in heaps, __Mere husks of Mind— Selecting them to suit his sense __Of what would score To entertain an audience __That roared for more. But did he ever come to know __Whence flowed...

. Florida Beach Vacation 2025 They buried me in pale white sand. _They took away my phone. The mouse was wrested from my hand _And now I’m all alone. Swift salty tears of Oceanus _Comingle with my own. Apollo’s shafts feel intravenous; _Their fire burns full-blown. I struggle free but...

. Term Limits Without term limits, nothing prevents the eruption of bribery, graft, and unbridled corruption. Too few of our founders felt our preservation depended on forced periodic rotation. Our lives are controlled by the ones we’ve elected, who once in the swamp, can’t help getting infected, so each thirsts...

. Boomerang He was a very handsome guy, Cute girls would stick to him like glue, And his interest in them was high, But only for a night or two. Eventually he settled down, A pretty young wife came one day, And he loved having her around Those few months...

. Ode to Chronic Pain I curse your name and spit as you supply these diverse proofs that I am not divine— and yet I should embrace you for the same, so keep me still and resting, Faithful Pain. . . The Millennial Heel A demigod of Clark-Kent strength sits...

. Reading in Bed Crowded years from now, and late one wintry night, a certain turn of phrase or trick of poetry will summon me. Pillowed in the warm lamplight perhaps you’ll look up from your book, and, placidly, with crow’s-foot eyes, begin a smile; then wonder why I choose...

. Durus Frater, Alma Mater Spring forward to where former arch-rivals Fall back on tall stories of the travels They enjoyed after two years of college, Before graduation sealed the knowledge Of how little there was to learn keeping Track of credit hours, how hours spent sleeping Made for better...

. Alotta Lip About my Hip Alotta lip about my hip On paper, phone, computer-drive. The new one at my femur’s tip Has generated verbal jive Beyond my wits. I can’t contrive The need for queries they should skip. I’ve been forever asked of these: “How is your pain? Drive...

. Samhain Spree Come, gather underneath the horns _That rise out of the east! Come, join the host in revelry _To frolic, sing, and feast! The winter is upon us now, _And summer gone away, And we have gathered at the henge _To romp, carouse, and play. The temple has...

. An Update for Dylan Thomas’s Aunt "Fie on you, aunt! I’ll show you how To elevate your middle brow, And how to scale and see the sights From Modernist Parnassian heights." —Dylan Thomas, “A Letter to my Aunt Discussing the Correct Approach to Modern Poetry” Your nephew Dylan once...

. Soldier of the Rising Sun Date/Location: February 19, 1974---Uninhabited jungle, Lubang Island in the northern Philippines. The matter: Believing that Japan is still fighting World War II almost 30 years after its defeat, Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda has not surrendered. However, he senses the winds of change in the...

. Double Rondel for Pentecost Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! O fire that warms my soul, You burn within to turn my love heart-whole, And burst beyond as fervor unsuppressed. Celestial flame, my most delightful guest, Inspire me as a temple you control. Dispel my darkness, radiant aureole, Refine my gold...

. On Twenty Years of YouTube Dull dinner party video clips unshared shaped YouTube’s genesis, or so it’s claimed. Yet others say, when Janet Jackson bared a nipple, that a co-creator aimed to see if it was accidentally flashed. His curiosity was not assuaged--- by old technology his hopes were...

. The Legend of Zhong Kui Zhong Kui is pronounced like “Jong Quay” One dark and dour winter day His mother sent her son Zhong Kui Along with his good friend, Du Ping To take exams held by the King. Zhong Kui, a large and ugly lad, had bulging eyes,...

. Roads of Potter County Finally Spring has come north here---Always my favorite time of year.Potter will tease you in some way---Tomorrow might be a snowy day. Instead there came the green of grass,The white of snow its height surpassed.I rode and mowed without a pain,Across the lawn I would...