Since I have submitted this poem to a journal, I’m taking down the full draft. O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM ON ROARING RUN Why when I turned back did I almost put my senses away, as if walking back were perfunctory, unworthy of care and attention…
Who knows how many iterations this will go through? I’m not quite sure of its shape yet, having already put it through about 10 drafts. It’ll be a while. Since I have submitted this poem with a different title–“FROM AR RAQQAH TO ALEPPO”–to a journal, I’m taking down the full draft. FLIGHT Phalanx exhaust over xeroscape … More Flight
CHILD IN THE OCEAN Child in the ocean contradict midcurrent driven, brine-eyed, blind.
In January, I read from Heartwood at Webster’s Bookstore and Cafe. Here are some videos that my publisher, Penny Eifrig, took. J. Harlan Ritchey’s art is at my feet in the videos. He drew the cover and internal art in Heartwood. “The Omega Rite” is the opening poem in the book, a sort of overture … More Reading at Webster’s: The Omega Rite, The Fox, Open for Business, and Hume at the Melting Places
This quarter, J. Harlan Ritchey and I are the cover feature for The Art Buyer’s Guide to Central PA for our collaboration on Heartwood published by Mt. Nittany Press. In Heartwood, I wanted to “observe… who and how I was in the world and the world was in itself… and put those reflections into evocative poems.” Harlan’s art certainly helps … More Heartwood featured in the Art Buyer’s Guide of Central PA
Tonight and next Friday I am doing two poetry readings. I’m so excited for both. Tonight I’m reading at Webster’s Bookstore and Cafe in State College at 7 pm. My longtime friend, J. Harlan Ritchey will be there with me. He did the cover art and pieces for my book Heartwood. We’ve been friends for … More Heartwood readings on January 8 & 15
On this last day of the year, my 39th on this planet, I want to take several moments to reflect on where I’ve been this year and maybe years past. Maybe at the end of this little jaunt, I’ll think about where I’m headed and many more us seem to be headed. The short version: … More From the last year to the new year
Draft #2 of this poem. Found myself watching people on the street–me included–so plugged into their phones that I felt overwhelmed by how enslaved we can be to our devices pumped full of energy from our energy slaves. WIDGETS I’ve been looking at people as wreckage these days. Bodies founded, scaffolded, adorned then machined. Here, … More WIDGETS
Today, world leaders finalized a global climate agreement. There’s a ton to read about it right now. Tons and tons. I’m hopeful. I’m also well aware of the unfolding catastrophe before us. I’m not going to harp on the strengths or weakness of the COP21 now. Rather, I’ll share share this poem, “Hume at the … More Hume at the Melting Places: #Poetry on #ClimateChange #COP21
Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. So what’s in my pocket? “A Stone,” a poem I’ve been working on since last summer. A single stone can seem at once to be just itself while also being the story of its place. They are beautiful metaphors for the events of our lives. Stones are the poetry of … More Stones are the #poetry of experience
Peter Walks for Democracy 