Clippings: that was the term my ex-fiancee gave to the lines of poetry she would jot down in her journals – they would be jumping off points for her poems. I think anyone that has done any writing is familiar with this practice – you see something good, you write it down, store it away,…
MY MONTH IN MEMPHIS
On October 17, 2019 I pulled the Penske truck up to a spot just across the street from my building. I “checked in,” brought the cat in, and then spent the next few hours helping the two guys I hired unload my furniture and get everything in to the apartment. I returned the truck, walked…
LEARNING TO RUN
A year ago on this date (11/17) I completed my first race, the Philadelphia Half Marathon. It was cold, it was early, it was one of those mornings when the sun was bright and you could see your breath in the air. I was nervous, the wait to start was exciting and long. There’s an…
WRITING, EXPLAINING, READING
I’ve been trying to post a new poem every day. These are all poems I’ve written over the past year. If I don’t write some new ones, it’ll be a short run of posts. Before posting, I re-read it, sometimes make edits, sometimes think if it’s what I want to put out there. Yesterday I…
HOLDING BACK: JEALOUSY, SHAME, AND FEAR
A lot of what I write is based entirely on my personal (and recent) experiences – original to me, but not original in the sense of human emotion and expression. Since almost nothing is original (not going down that path), a much better, more disciplined writer would blend their thoughts with those that have come…
EMERGENCE: BECOMING A WRITER AND EVER-SHIFTING TOPICS
I’ve seen an unusual change in my writing this past week or so. For one, web stats have shown that some people have actually read my blog – cool an audience (reach out and say hello – and also what a weird thing… the writer’s ego). Because people have read, I’m doing much more writing….
INTERTWINED
When you truly connect with another human being, you reach a strange physical, emotional, and mental place where you’re not quite sure where you begin and where they end. You’re lives and being become intertwined. Your motives for wanting good for them and wanting good things for you become one and the same. Their needs…
BE THE PERSON YOU WANT TO FIND
Well before I met my ex-fiancee, B, I had spent a lot of time dating. I had a few relationships that were intense for a few months before crashing in their own special way. I also had a lot of one-off dates as well as a handful of things that fell in the 2 or…
WAITING: THE BRUTALITY OF ADORATION
Today I read a poignant and well-written essay on waiting – specifically as it relates to love. It referenced some modern anxieties (waiting for the good morning text in a new relationship), but also brought some heavy-hitting thoughts to the topic citing Walt Whitman, Roland Barthes, Dorothy Parker and others. As I read, I found…
TO HAVE A PURPOSE
Writer’s Block… not to be confused with that small eastern European contingent writers’ bloc. And wouldn’t the title be funnier if it were “To Have A Porpoise” I’m often reminded of that line from the James Tate poem “Teaching the Ape to Write Poetry” “you look like a god sitting there, why don’t you try…
POEMS ABOUT HOME
Today I walked in to a cafe to sit and read and write a bit. I’m clearly not blogging every day, and I’m not even writing off site every day. Trying to meet new people has taken up a lot of my time, so has going out to eat, and listening to bands. I still…
A CAR
This past weekend, I flew home to get my car. After more than a few frustrating setbacks in trying to get out of Memphis (couldn’t get a LYFT/Uber/Taxi, pouring rain, rat ran across my shoe, got to gate just in time, plane had mechanical issues and flight was cancelled, etc.) I got home, packed the…