My ongoing poetry journey.
These pieces were shaped by memory, people I’ve observed, places I’ve been, objects that have held meaning, and my own experiences with mental health.
Some poems begin here as part of a regular practice; others are revised over time and gathered into larger groupings. Together, they form a body of work that will continue to evolve.
Featured Poems
A selection of my favorites.
Shower Sermon
I bow my head
then bang it against the tile
over-and-over.
Over-and-over.
When it hurts, I leave it there
and crank the nozzle
until my skin screams.
Blisters form.
The escaping drops break around me,
the fragments obeying gravity,
tracing my feet.
Soapy tears sting my eyes.
I scald my face to clear them.
Steam consumes me.
The glass fogs.
I write your name,
then wipe you away.
Wired
My lungs explode
like Giger’s Alien is uncoiling beneath my sternum.
My brain goes to a colorful place
in the absence of oxygen.
A twenty-something try-hard
barks at me as he vaults the boards,
“Right wing, old man!”
I added the old man part.
I don’t have right wing left in me.
or left wing.
or center.
The puck streaks past.
Technicolor chaos follows.
The report of a rifle rattles the boards.
The alien technology in these sticks
is horrifying.
My skates hit the ice.
It hits back—a left hook.
My 45-year-old shocks are leaking hydraulic fluid again.
I grunt and rejoin the race.
My position escapes me.
Somewhere between oxygen debt
and preventive maintenance,
I am pondering a Labatt and 800mg of Motrin.
A cruise missile leaves the corner.
I lose my legs reaching for it
and feel the ice rattle something loose.
Sixty seconds begets sixty minutes.
I am at war with the data
and my systems.
My brain gives the orders.
My body disobeys.
EQUIPMENT ERROR:
faulty wiring.
My tank is empty.
I require maintenance.
I make it to the bench
in search of fuel.
But a new directive arrives.
“Dude, take Center.”
STATUS:
RIP
Poetry Themes
Poetry themes I tend to gravitate towards when I sit down to write.
Thank you for visiting. My work will continue to evolve. Please, check back often!
The Process
I have a deep love for analog writing. Every poem begins on paper, written with a fountain pen, and passes through many drafts before finding its way into the digital world. Once there, things get interesting.
My work is part of an ongoing exploration of imagery and voice. The more I write, the more I learn about myself—and the better the poems become.
Much of my work explores memory, place, inner conflict and the tension of every day life.