This is a poem of comrades gathered together in the anti-war movement, standing together for creating real and lasting peace. To show for something as right as this while giving up illusions of control over outcomes, may be where hope is found at its center. Poydras Review has scheduled “Sacred Ground” to be published on July 15th this summer. Mark it on your calendar for reading this strong and lovely piece. I would love to know whether you agree with me as to the subtle magic of this poem.
“Literary Pilgrims Welcome”—right there on Visitant’s homepage this says it all for me to feel completely at home with this magnificent journal inviting me into its family of contributors. My poem “Perhaps Why A Poet” is set to appear in the March 20 issue; “Two Bigger Birds Getting Smaller Fly Toward New Names” in the April 10 issue; “Growing Younger As The Sun Goes Down” in the May 1 issue; and “Something Like Finding Obscure Figures In That Image Puzzle Inside That Magazine While At The Doctor’s Waiting Room” in the May 22 issue. There is an array to chose from in this feast of poetry, modernist minimalism, letting nature rightsize ego for the wonders of intimacy, staying fresh and ageless in in one’s creativity, and also, freeform convergences by way stream of consciousness. It’s all there dear poetry buffs. I hope you come sit down at the table and have your fill with the poetry, literature, and visual art in each of these Visitant issues.
It is particularly gratifying to have the wonderful literary/poetry journal Slab publish this poem, as it was penned by way of inspiration from being gifted with the really, really magnifico blessing of having a close friend who is a brother by another mother. Stay tuned for the next edition of Slab to read my poem along with all the other impeccable work on those pages. For now, why not enjoy some cover art of the most recent edition of Slab.
I had a wonderful time with my good friend and fellow author and artist, Mark Baer, on Mark’s production of Conversations and Collaborations. In this interview I talk about my upcoming novel Ishmael’s Scroll as well as the creative process for various writers, including myself. We also explore the intersections and differences between poetry and story telling, and then integrate this conversation with my own writing style in the voice of poetic prose. Check out the interview:
This poem that is particularly close to my heart, as it was inspired by the life and death of our wonderful dog, Smilie. She lived eighteen years with the instincts of a, shall I put it, spirited shepherd. Smilie sort of adopted our family. She had been on her own in the country in Texas and sauntered up at our place one day. She never left and over the years worked with us as we became, at her loving insistence, better and better parents. Nice. This poem is in memoriam to Smilie.
I’m very happy that Pittsburg State University’s esteemed literary and poetry journal, The Midwest Quarterly, has selected my poem “On the Day of the Fourth Amigo” for publication. This is a poem about overcoming patriarchy and the cultural/religious thinking that supports this flawed institution. It celebrates embracing the wisdom that rises from our subconscious. Thanks tons to the Midwest Quarterly editorial family, and to this journal’s readers.
King and some artist / activists used driftwood on Carmel Beach to spell out “NO OIL DRILLING . . . SOS” during the Saturday round of the AT&T Pro-Am PGA golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links. This beach is located directly beside the 10th fairway at Pebble Beach. The Goodyear blimp was overhead to get those wonderful camera shots of the golf that its crew does so well. One screen shot and our Artivist project would be read by millions of viewers. This was a fun and clever way to get the all important message out for switchthing from fossil fuels to clean energy sources as being imperative with global warming advancing so rapidly that life as we know it on the planet is placed in serious jeopardy. Offshore drilling for oil has recently been opened up for almost all of US waters. Close your eyes for a long moment and think on the destruction this will cause. Please, get involved, don’t stay on the sidelines. The change we need will not come by simply going to the voting booths. In the US both major political parties are bought and paid for by the same bloated financial interests, one being the massive oil and gas industry lobby. It will take acts of civil disobedience and sustained mass mobilization to make the positive changes that need to be made. It is serious work for us, and with some forethought and spiritual centering on what’s important, you can oftentimes have fun with it.
