“Got a whole lotta reasons to be mad, let’s not pick one.” from “Ain’t No Man” by The Avett Brothers Today in my Creative Writing & Contemporary Literature class our discussion of Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom turned to the life lesson of forgiveness. Timely, to say the least. As I shared with myContinue reading “Choosing Forgiveness”
Category Archives: poems
What Can You Do with Five Words?
When it rains it pours. Those aren’t the five words I intend for you to ponder in this post, but a reflection of my current state of the union. The appliances arrive tomorrow, the HVAC company will be here as well to install the heat pumps and AC, the wood for the trim arrives onContinue reading “What Can You Do with Five Words?”
That Awkward Silence
As promised, the Japanese Tanka on Silence, in honor of every awkward waiting-room-train-platform moment, and the gap between my posts, that measures the audible space between humans. Silence Vincent H. Anastasi 2015 This silence is raw,like the skinned elbow of Time,and you and I sitimmutable and awkward:two columns of decorum.
Choosing to Live: Enlightened Contentment
“It is the time’s discipline to think of the death of all living, and yet live.” Wendell Berry, “A Discipline” Into a third late night of balancing the demands of being an educator, a cooperating teacher, a husband, a father, a son, a home remodeler, and a writer, I offer this gentle reminder to live.Continue reading “Choosing to Live: Enlightened Contentment”
All Aboard! From Rails to Sunrise
“We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us. Did you ever think what those sleepers are that underlie the railroad? Each one is a man, an Irishman, or a Yankee man. The rails are laid on them, and they are covered with sand, and the cars run smoothly over them. They areContinue reading “All Aboard! From Rails to Sunrise”
Art’s Deepening Place: A Reflection on Sarah Oppenheimer’s “610-3356”
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” Leonardo da Vinci My thanks to Jack Warner, former colleague and cooperating teacher, for introducing me to one of Pittsburgh’s hidden gems, The Mattress Factory Art Museum. Since that initial visit almost twenty years ago, I’veContinue reading “Art’s Deepening Place: A Reflection on Sarah Oppenheimer’s “610-3356””
Honoring Transcendent Normalcy
As I’ve noted in many of my recent posts, I’ve spent most of my working hours in the kitchen. The hard push to get all the outlets and lights rewired, remove the old cabinets, cut out a hole in the wall to recess the refrigerator, and tear out the old bulkheads in preparation for drywallContinue reading “Honoring Transcendent Normalcy”
Letter to the Quiescent Soul
Recently, my life has been far from inactive, full of the tranquility of rest (thank you Merriam-Webster for defining quiescent). I’ve spent the past three days trying to rewire my kitchen before the drywall is hung next week, crawling around in tiny attic-like crawlspaces, breathing in more cellulose than I care to admit. Every night,Continue reading “Letter to the Quiescent Soul”
Taking the Heights: A Call to Action
“As the season is now fast approaching when every man must expect to be drawn into the field of action, it is highly necessary that he should prepare his mind, as well as everything necessary for it. It is a noble cause we are engaged in, it is the cause of virtue and mankind, everyContinue reading “Taking the Heights: A Call to Action”
Distressed, Deceived, and Discontented
So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men. 1 Samuel 22:1-2, New Living Translation Lately, I’ve beenContinue reading “Distressed, Deceived, and Discontented”
