Original Poetry

I lean heavily to rhyme and meter - those who hate formal genres will find only a little here.

The following are listed in reverse chronological order, but if you want to skip to the best you might try "Poetry Lurks", On Reading a Sonnet of Keats, or To My Books.


My Valentine (occasional)

Yellow Dog Howlin' Blues

Divorce in Autumn (Villanelle)

To Our Girls (sonnet, for the Hockaday Class of 2008 on Valentine's Day 1999)

Advent Sonnet, 1994

"Where do the clouds rush to so urgently?" (sonnet)

"How can I give my poisoned gifts away?" (sonnet)

Departure (sonnet, lamenting the loss of our unborn child)

"Poetry Lurks 'round every random corner" (sonnet)

Angel Answers Accidie (sonnet)

"My God, you always find me out" (lyric, based on Psalm 139) (devotional)

To My Books (sonnet)

On Reading a Sonnet of Keats (sonnet)

"Jesus my Lord, please help me dare to show (sonnet) (devotional)

"If I should die this very night: Have I loved anyone?" (lyric) (devotional)

"Forgive me all the worthless good advice" (sonnet)

Advent Sonnet, 1993

"My hands are roped together, back to back" (sonnet) (devotional)

"Sing to our Lord a glad new song" (hymn, freely based on Psalm 98)

Dialog in Hell (quasi-sonnet)

For Terri (sonnet)

"Thank God for pleasures of a cloudy day" (sonnet)

"The universe (so Phys.Rev.Lettrists say)" (sonnet)

"I don't think God needs help from human pride" (sonnet)

"God, who made minds for books and Book for minds" (sonnet)

State Fair (sonnet)

"What glory shines in morning skies" (lyric)

"How can this loafer be a child of God?" (sonnet) (devotional)

"There's almost nothing to a virus core" (sonnet)

"Teach me to live - I hate my living death -" (sonnet) (devotional)

"Oceans of love surround us, light-years wide" (sonnet)

"From time to time the large things idly twitch" (sonnet)

"We sometimes catch a melody that haunts" (sonnet)

"Even the smallest things luxuriate" (sonnet)

"All of my courage isn't quite enough" (sonnet) (devotional)

For Jack (sonnet)

"After the hurricane in '62" (sonnet)

"Insouciantly we drink our beer" (a featherweight but impromptu villanelle)

"Christ, am I really doing this again?" (sonnet)

"Still hesitating I approach the dance" (quasi-sonnet)

"Piss on you all!" (sonnet)

"Love's not love" (sonnet and singles ad)

"Clarified by the stillbirth of desire" (sonnet)

"The Pole Star, guide to sailors, glitters clear" (not a great sonnet, but my first)


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