We often lose ourselves in order to live in the world, shooing away the wild and unacceptable in us and leaving it to fend for itself in a psychic terra-ephemera. But that which we turn away often returns. Our response determines whether it will come as friend or foe, whether it will be our curse or our blessing. How will you answer when the feral child, now fully grown, comes knocking?
Read MoreSeveral years ago, I had a dramatic epiphany convincing me that I must write both to save my soul and to express my gift. I have written everyday since then, with rare exception, and know that I will continue to do so as long as I am able and whether or not what I produce is accepted and supported by the world. What is something that you must do to save your soul or for the sake of your sanity?
Read MoreAre you being called to a deeper life? The Poets came to me almost in one piece after hearing a poetry reading at Barnes and Noble on a full moon night in 2003. The poem highlights a sense of having two selves: one lives a surface life of habits and hobbies, of interests and interactions on a daily basis. This is the little “s” self. The other one, the capital “S” Self, lives a deeper, richer life of which I am only faintly aware.
Read MoreBold claims often inspire us to elevate our selves but may also force us to face our fears. Those that do both truly put us on the frontier of our lives, on the growing edge where we can go beyond our former limits and find the grounds for an expanded life. What bold claim might you make that would put you on the frontier of your life?
Read MoreTalis Wong welcomed me as a second guest of honor at the table reserved for Judith Delozier and the students who were attending her class in Hong Kong. Strangely, I had written this poem a few days before hand. Judy and I had talked about meeting in Hong Kong, but made no specific plan until I arrived. So, the poem was prescient. I had written the poem to express a feeling of welcome from life and did not have the meet-up with Judy in mind.
Read MoreThis is one of my favorite poems. I wrote it while walking the beach in Scarborough, Australia when a question formed: Is the horizon you envision for yourself big enough to hold your dreams? That question became the seed for my own self examination and growth and served as the key line in the poem that I composed over the next two days. What limits your horizon and what might you do to expand it?
Read MoreFor most of us, a simple mental scan of the body reveals a lot of unnecessary tension that we carry in the form of tensed muscles in our everyday life. This poem considers the question: Why do we humans "struggle to relax" when all other animals do so easily and naturally, even after the most stressful events?
Read MoreA lighthouse warns of danger, serves as a guide, and stands present whether we succeed in our journey or fail in the effort. It is both a beacon of light and a tower of forgiveness. We may be at the mercy of the world, but this poem asks: Are we the lighthouse? Are we present and accountable to all things in our life?
Read MoreOn occasion, my writing takes me deep into a spiritual realm and I am shy to share it because I have no religious credentials and no spiritual affiliation to cite as a source. Perhaps I drink from the same well as the mystic poets, Rumi or Hafiz...or perhaps it is because I have an appointment...
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