Beauty

. Profoundly Original Everyone is born as an original, but may die as a photocopy. –Carlo Acutis (1991–2006), first millennial saint, canonized 7 September 2025 This teen proficient at computer gaming Spent utmost technologic talent framing “Eucharistic Miracles of the World,” Brave signal flags of his own site unfurled, Displaying...

. Sancho Panza’s Choice Well-met, Señor. And blessings on your inn.You are the landlord here, is that not true?Please sit with me and drink. I’ll pay for two.Your least expensive, though. My purse is thin.I serve my master gratis. Yes, that’s right---The white-haired viejo now in sleep’s embrace.Don’t say “Señor...

  The Truth Won’t Die ---a villanelle for Charlie Kirk They clung to hate and jealousy and lies, While he spoke words that could have set them free. They tried to kill the truth but truth won’t die. At first they used profanity and cries Of outrage while debating angrily....

. Treasure Trove There’s treasure in the words we say, The words we read, the words we write; There’s treasure in each dawning day, In sunlit glow and dark of night. There’s treasure in a landscape view, In rivers, trees and mountain peaks; There’s treasure in a sunset’s hue, In...

  The Bachelors' Debate When I am put before my friends, around the dying flame, And we have burnt through all our songs that we consider tame, We all decide to sing a song before we go to bed A song about the secret thoughts that swim within your head....

  Autumn Air There’s something in the autumn air, Something beneath the mounting chill Of which we’re vaguely unaware Until it says our name, until It softly taps us on the heart. Something beneath the yellowed oaks Intones a hymn in counterpart Whose voice exults but also chokes; Something that...

. Rare Books ---Magdalen College, Oxford, November 1993 From London, westward ho, and slantwise north, I journey into Oxfordshire and see, through outsize windows on the Stagecoach bus, green meadows framed by thick-set hawthorn hedgerows, the spreading canopies of great-trunked oaks, fat-uddered cows serenely foraging, joy-barking collies chasing squirrels and...

. When Helen Keller Met Mark Twain ---a poem about America Date: November 2, 1934, Place: New York City: Madison Square Garden after Helen Keller delivers a speech honoring the Salvation Army. An old reporter recognizes one of the attendees. You flatter me! It’s rare I’m asked to speak. I’m...

  Emily Dickinson: A Brief Synopsis Emily Dickinson Wished Mr. Higginson Hadn’t been so loath Her poems to critique. Higginson, piqued At her rhyme and her syntax, Wished he could toss them Right into next week. Em then dissembled— She loved to seem small, for It lessened the hurt Of...

  St. Philip Neri “Go take a hike out passed the Catacombs of St. Callistus. Celia once was there. Cornelius is and other Popes in domes of ancient stone. Inhale the olive air. Then buy a chicken from a chicken-farm and bring it back to me the way you came....

. Joyful Warrior ---for Charlie Beloved Charlie will lie in state At rest, beyond the reckless hate That roils the souls of the wicked, massing To mock and celebrate his passing. With nimble mind and agile tongue, Self-schooled, he dared to school the young In what their schooling sorely lacked:...

. Impermanence There’s uproar in the poplars overhead— A dry wind surging from the sun-struck west, Already hot with power and vastly spread Over these plains and not yet come to rest. Out on a jaunt, I push through weeds and grass. With no fixed goal, I swelter, cough, and...

. Utilization Another person’s misdeeds or their flaws,Are rarely pleasant sights when they are shown,But I try making such ordeals the causeOf seeing and disposing of my own.. . Superiority Although superiorityMay lead to trophies on your shelfOf greater import is to beSurpassing of your former self. . . Knowing...

. Nearly Home The storm now past, the dark clouds drift away, Unveiling tranquil skies at end of day, Whose cheering beams imbue the gathering gloam And my own heart with peace, as I walk home. The hours of labor fled, I heave a sigh, And give a nod to...

. A Century's Divinity Another time, another place, A waft of smoke, a peaceful space, Atop the club---a Deke at Yale, And Vassar maiden, by the rail. Alone they stood, alone they spoke, Postured classic, lass and bloke, A century's divinity, Not far from our proximity. Far from perfect: Mother,...

. Esperanza Enticing in her yellow-bell couture, __She shimmers like the sun. With flirty puffs of pollen-pomp allure, __Her blossoms trumpet fun. She laces air with threads of scent as pure __As pledges heaven-spun--- She glows with hope on nimbostratus days. She bolsters butterflies and busies bees __With flowery prowess....

. In the Name of Whose God “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through...

. La Vie en Rose  I came across that daft old ditty “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”And wondered why its lyrics didn’t rhyme “tulips” with “true lips.”I’ve learned, you see, that botany brings great linguistic power---Like formulating works which vaunt the lilac and sunflower!Now, had that song been mine I would...

. Predawn High Sierra Hike The new-moon, star-lit darkness does not hide The beauty that surrounds me on the trail, As silhouettes of trees and mountains guide My feet into the wilderness like braille. For darkness has a beauty of its own, With whispered wind and brook-song beyond sight, As...

. A Ballad of Fortune "Be brave now, my darlin', We're migrating West! Let's pack up our wagon And then take a rest. Tomorrow we're starting--- At sunrise, is best." "But, Jimmy, I'm frightened," His young wife, she said. "The perils are many; We might end up dead. I won't...

. To Truth ---in memory of Charlie Kirk (1993 – 2025) You fly above the flap and fray,Beyond the stir of earthy air.On dauntless tongue, you find the way__To spread your care. Your song is bright and bold and plain,Sung with fire in the faceOf hatred (wracked with raw disdain)__In...

. Pamela’s Garden You’ll find her in the garden every day,Her comfort and her confidence so bright.Among the dahlias purple stemmed bouquetHer radiance reflects an inner light. She doesn’t care for those who just pretendto cultivate a feeling for the soil.With loving touch so gentle does she tendher trellis roses...

. Another North The Megalopolis just north of here Rumbles and heaves and slumbers not at all, Though I at evening am not so near To be afflicted by its charmless call. Cicadas’ speech spreads over me this night When I step out from house to darkening grass To find...

. Why She Broke Up with Him Not long before their college graduation, His bright and beautiful four-year girlfriend, With no more than a sudden conversation, Brought their long-happy romance to an end. The guy was devastated, and shut down. He absolutely could not fathom why, Though he’d be leaving...

. Thy Servant Elizabeth _“Well-done, unswerving servant,” _All the church bells rang _On all the roads of England, _While all the angels sang _Above the long procession _That formed her funeral; _The car conveyed her body _As her Christ assumed her soul. _In clashing grief and triumph, _The strong-voiced, iron-tongued...

. Hope By no means has my hope turned to despair. I’ve not the wakeful nights, the woeful gaze Up at the ceiling as I chew the day’s Disasters and a world beyond repair. I’ve not that inner desolation where Your every thought is but a paraphrase Of emptiness and...

. Sunflower Field _A boundless, isle-less sea of green Bestrewn with yellow starbursts gently swaying--- The heavens mirrored, dazzlingly displayed _Upon a rolling sea of jade Where swells and ripples ceaselessly are playing _Upon the fixed supernal scene. A choir of yellow haloes blazing bright With light drawn whence they...

. Spacewalk Around earth’s blue-white marble sphere the black is ancient, soundless, near; starry webs burn in dawnlike glare. A rhythm, the unending drone of the star-work being done beats in my brain. I am alone. Sun rounds the planet. Heatless light absolute cold cannot ignite coats my suit’s skin...

. A Reason for Hope __The sky so bright, __The morning mist, __The inbound flight Back to the items on our list __Are all a part __Of one big scene __That makes the heart A diachronic smithereen __Which gropes ahead __To find its place __And make its bed In the...

. To a Most Tempting Pancake “Quae mollis est, amanda est.” (What is soft, is to be loved) ---Libri Matutini (Book of Breakfasts) O golden disc, with cinnamon imbued, Thou float’st in butter, warm and debonair. Thy milky mix, with gentle hand subdued, Becomes a silken blend beyond compare. Thine...

. Shackled I crave a morning hit when I rise up, A trifle touch to take the edge away To spur me on to get my coffee cup. Don’t talk while I eat breakfast. Go away. I want a bitty bit of my sweet drug. I do my chores and...

. Umbra The blazing height of summer’s day Now darkens to weird quasi-night--- Translucent dusk, half-cloaking gray, Half-veiling darkness pierced by sight. What shapeless cloud was blown astray That dares eclipse the noonday light Yet deigns not halt and wends its way, Wandering on in aimless flight? It floats where...

. Inklings Shut off that damn brainwashing, numbing screen!Tonight I did. I reached, opened that book.From sentences, the mind gleans what it means.What happens when we painstakingly look? We visualize and vocalize the textAnd enter in the flow between the lines.Carried along, we wonder what comes next.Shun all concepts! Fill...

. Uxorious? He tried to guard composure as he pressed the new denarius to his chapped lips and unbecoming tears for noblemen slipped privately to stain his cheeks and bed. “Faustina, death entombs a healthful rest while dolor molds my mood,” his voice had slipped, “but I’ve betrothed your memory...

. Mary ---a sequel to “Martha," prompted by James A. Tweedie The night grew still, the lamps gave off a hush,And Martha’s footsteps faded down the hall.The coals were low, the herbs gave one last flush -Their fragrance lingered barely there at all. Then Mary rose, her hands clasped near...

. Falun Dafa Parade The heartbeat of a marching band lies in the beating drums, The power of a sleeping beast that shakes the ground with thrums. An energy that fills the air and lifts you from your core, The rising glow within your heart that speaks of so much...

. On Having a Little Girl She looks at me with hazel eyes And freckles on her sun-kissed cheeks. These moments, gentle, still, and blest Are ever-anchored in my chest. I tell fair tales to her in bed— Of knights and dames and fire and flight. I fight the night...

. Snapshots of Oxford---July 20, 2025 The drowsy wasps that kept me on my toes; The groups of foreign students herded by; The constant stop and look, the selfie pose; The intermittent rain, then hot and dry. A city with its dreaming spires on view; The enigmatic Wheatsheaf where I...

. Mourning Doves Hear the soft coo—a coo that faithful love imparts; Mourning doves, they share as one, two beating hearts. On summer’s eaves of pine, they build their lofty nests; Tender eggs are tucked beneath warm nurturing breasts. Oval-shaped, snowy white, hatched alive, Fledglings find their downy wings—learn to...

. True Worth Her thoughts do not align with "bigger, better"; A humble mode of living suits her fine. The waning years of life bring contemplation Of what defines a "wealth." What draws the line? It's not to say material things don't matter; Advantages and travels she has known. While...