Left Hand Poetry
Another one from the Taco Bell Quarterly rejections file. Admittedly, reading it again and knowing TBQ's voice, this wasn't a great fit, but I still think it's a fun little piece of absurdism that I'd like to share with you. A couple more of these to go before I likely go dark again, unless I start selling a lot of poetry books and y'all demand that I carry on ( is where you can find the links to the goods).
info_outline Episode 201 - They keep it cold inside the Taco Bell...Left Hand Poetry
Friends, it's a been a few months and I might be a little rusty on my intro-ad libbing chops, but stick with me into the poem itself. It's fun, and hopefully up to my own standards for Weird. For this is the first in my little series of items, Taco Bell Quarterly Rejections. As mentioned in the pod, if you haven't go check out . For poetry, it's a dream publication. If I could sneak in some Taco-Bell related Sci Fi, well that would be just perfect. There's a Ko-fi link on my home page, where you might be reading this, if you want to help support the production of this podcast. And...
info_outline Episode 140: Last Rose of the SeasonLeft Hand Poetry
This is a fan-favorite (you know who you are, fan) sonnet, inspired by my father's rose garden. DO GOOD: Donate to Social Causes: Poetry Books: Read along with the podcast, get your own copy of the poems (also another great way to support the podcast): Direct Cash Contribution: Support this podcast by buying me a ko-fi:
info_outline Episode 139: Untitled NYC PoemLeft Hand Poetry
DO GOOD: Donate to Social Causes: Poetry Books: Read along with the podcast, get your own copy of the poems (also another great way to support the podcast): Direct Cash Contribution: Support this podcast by buying me a ko-fi:
info_outline Episode 138 - Always look up when opening a windowLeft Hand Poetry
Direct Cash Contribution: Support this podcast by buying me a ko-fi: Poetry Books: Read along with the podcast, get your own copy of the poems (also another great way to support the podcast): DO GOOD: Donate to Social Causes:
info_outline Episode 137 - SomethingLeft Hand Poetry
Direct Cash Contribution: Support this podcast by buying me a ko-fi: Poetry Books: Read along with the podcast, get your own copy of the poems (also another great way to support the podcast): DO GOOD: Donate to Social Causes: This week, it's "Something." There wasn't an episode last week because I just wasn't feeling it. But hey, I'm back. The rest: like, share, rate, engage
info_outline Episode 136: 11Left Hand Poetry
Support this podcast by buying me a ko-fi: Read along with the podcast, get your own copy of the poems (also another great way to support the podcast): Donate to Social Causes: For whatever reason, I did not read this poem at the week of the anniversary of 9/11. I don't remember why. But for you, this year, on the 20th anniversary, is "11."
info_outline Episode 135: September's RentLeft Hand Poetry
Support this podcast by buying me a ko-fi: Read along with the podcast, get your own copy of the poems (also another great way to support the podcast): Donate to Social Causes: It's not Fall yet, but as of this recording it IS September, so I'm going back into "Stand Right, Walk Left" for this week's piece, "September's Rent." It evokes a feeling from slightly later in the year here in the Northern parts of North America, but hey, listen now and then listen to this episode again while you're out among the changing leaves. Plus, you can tell your friends about the podcast in the interim.
info_outline Episode 134 - FocusLeft Hand Poetry
I made the switch from Audacity to Garageband to record this week's episode ,and there's a little reverb in there I didn't catch until I was doing a final QA check on the mp3 file. So, for you dear listener, enjoy this week's episode as if it were coming to you from a 1970's recording studio, because damn they loved reverb back then! This week from is "Focus," a brief work about the transient nature of our existence. Visit for more episodes, essays, and links to Social Justice Causes. Visit for my full catalog of books, including all 3 poetry books. They make wonderful gitfts - the...
info_outline Episode 133: My new homeLeft Hand Poetry
With all the new homes under construction in my development, it's hard not to look back through my poetry books and pluck out this little gem to share with you all this week. It's a silly little ode written when I moved into a house I'd bought many years ago, full of optimism as a homeowner after years of renting a place. Hey everyone, this is where I remind you that this podcast can't continue forever without your support! Pick up one of my poetry books, tell a friend about the podcast, the usual rate and review stuff. Links to purchase all my books (poetry and otherwise, if you're so...
info_outlineThis poem has been, appropriately, in the works for some time. I believe it's the first I've ever written about my father, though I have thoughts for several more. The text of the poem is at the bottom of this post, as this is another debut of a work.
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The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.
Scoping
I'm standing on the landing
Of our brand new house,
staring out into the yard.
My son asks me what I'm doing,
and I reply
That I'm thinking about something.
In my thinking I am tinkering
Building out a shape,
Resolving the problem.
Working out the requirements
As my father did
So many times when I was a son.
I never gathered why it mattered
why he just stood there.
Staring at an empty parcel of our yard,
or a wall of the house
Why not just start doing?
He was scoping in that moment
As he stood there still.
His mind assembling the pieces
and the measurements
He would tell me.
Eventually I knew I would see
Something new out in the yard;
Or some fresh construction:
Bringing craftsmanship
And utility to our home.
And as I am standing on the landing
Staring out the window
of our brand new house,
My son asking me
why I was just standing there…
I know that in so many small ways,
I have become my father.