Poems are little repair shops. I guess that makes me a repairman. The client? It’s always me. When I do my work skillfully, it also helps readers and listeners. Why do we need to repair ourselves? Because we have denied something essential. If we reject pain and absurdity, we turn brittle and bitter. Deny beauty…
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What emotions are you feeling right now? For me, I’m angry at the state of our democracy. I’m grieving the hundreds of thousands of deaths in our country and many more worldwide. I’m fearful about Earth’s future. And yet, I am also joyful to have spent a recent glorious day at Point Lobos, CA, where…
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Oh, how naïve I have been all these years. Maybe many of us? To think we could occasionally vote, give a couple of bucks to a candidate, and then wait passively, on the sidelines, for democracy to remain vital and whole. If nothing else, the catastrophes of the last four years, political, pandemic, environmental, have…
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What comes first hope or action? Yes! This answer is neither a cynical nor a Pollyanna-laden response. It’s not a formula. It is particularly not a license to ignore facts or delude ourselves. What does come first is gratitude. It’s a recognition of the mysterious and sacred. It’s the unshakable faith in the next breath…
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These are challenging times. However, we must resist the icy clutches of cynicism and despair. RBG reminds us that we can get big, fair, and just things accomplished without losing our moral compass and center. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was as much a healer as she was a brilliant legal mind. Her life, courage, and convictions…
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What expectation do you need to let go of in these wild and tumultuous times to be more centered, grounded, and useful? Times of trouble in so many areas of our lives – pandemic, climate, and political. Listen to the notable poet, May Sarton, as she grapples with this very question, dispensing her wisdom through…
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I’ve studied and admired wild women poets for years. These are poets who speak honestly, passionately, and courageously. And with such precision that they’re able to affect both head and heart. They bring insights for our intellect, the part of us that loves and is curious about ideas. And they bring thunderbolts of feelings and…
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Moments of absolute clarity have always been in great demand. That they sometimes pass quickly is not an indictment, only a plea for more. If you’ve ever heard or read or written a prose line or poetry that shook you to your core, I think you’ll relate to this poem by Denise Levertov. What’s her…
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