I walk through my life feet bare and callused across a carpet of war * not metaphysical war not philosophical war * homespun wars waged in places that I do not live and mostly have not visited * the carpet’s barbed pile has been underfoot since I was born […]
The right mix of spices in a dish, for example a balance of yams to butter, nutmeg to orange juice, will create a particular flavor and when eaten provide a certain satisfaction. Bringing together the right ingredients, the right spices, the right heat in an artistic collaboration can be more […]
Every book is different, and I don’t have a singular recipe I can whip up to get to my method for creating a complete collection of poems that has some kind of distinct form, texture and flavors. But for me, each book of my poetry should have a thru line. […]
Sharing my poetry in Italy was an exhilarating, humbling, exhausting and fruitful experience. This year, given the politics of the globe and the conversations that we share because it is one planet with many peoples, it was especially gratifying. The first reading was a great antidote to my still jet-lagged […]
When does a person become an artist and not simply a person who at times creates art? In music it requires a certain attainment of skills to simply play music and then the line is formed as professional or an amateur musician, lines that do not necessarily reflect on one’s […]
Last year and much of this year I did very little posting on my website. But I read voraciously. I found myself not just reading newer releases but also books that had been out for decades that I had somehow missed. I tend to read a few books at once, […]
A good friend recently sent me a New York Times Style Magazine which was dedicated to the idea of friendship. There were thirty-two categories of friends. Some were somewhat silly to me like actor friends which could as well have been singer friends or electrician friends or doctor friends, you […]
Although I have been MIA from my blog action I have been actively writing, performing and teaching. I also have found myself, in these viral times Zooming through meetings and workshops and making use of several online resources. I’d like to recommend a few I became aware of through my […]
Mesotic for Kiilu freedom taKen by storm she Is graceful panther determIned to struggle revoLution the air she breathed Love her most Useful tool Kiilu was so much, so large, so vital, my words evade me. I cannot begin to describe my respect and love for this woman. Our friendship […]
My father was born February 8, 1926. He, but not his presence, left this planet June 19, 2011. Of the many things I love and admire about my father is the fact that he was the definition of what I consider a man. His manhood was not a […]
