Beauty

. Apologies at Antoninus Pius’s Table, 155 A.D. . I. Rome’s Glory “Arriving at this feast, how proud I stand that Rome endures to succor those who dwell here in this citadel and those whose hands till soil across the empire that reaps well.” Sharp Aristides spoke to those who...

. To Melody, on Her Wedding Day And now the hour has come for you to fly, To leave your early nest and take the air For vistas yet unseen (though God knows where He’ll take you, as He knew in days gone by). For since the moment that you...

Old Chestnut I’m the spirited girl with the chestnut hair, Common countenance pale, smile occasionally stressed, High forehead and wide, sculpted jawline square, A pert single chin, curving neck recessed Over straight honest shoulders of soldierly flair, Alert at beginning a whimsical spree. My first tresses were trifling and thin...

. Three Death Musings . 1 One day the conqueror worm will conquer me And therewith render life the Joker's joke. Ensuing laughter will then posit the Arch-ruse and waft away the Joker's smoke As I emerge a Mensch, though once a bloke. . 2 The icons of the human...

. Westward, with Columbus The North Atlantic Ocean was awashwith monsters and leviathans, or sowe fearfully supposed, and thought it toshby sailing west, to India we could go. Then Christopher Columbus raised three crews.From Spain we sailed. A westward route we took.For sixty days no terra firma news---we took our tight-lipped...

. To the Autumn Birches The languid light of waning day Glares undiffused by any cloud, Still strong, defying its decay, Then breaks on a dark colonnade— Oak, ash, and beech—a somber crowd Of mourners cloaked in winter’s shade. But you—you stun the dozing gaze; You stand apart and deign...

. Ghosts of the Watchtower The end-of-summer breeze gives hint with cool caress Of coming autumn gales and forecasts of distress. But who beneath the sun, when halcyon days abound Imagines they will face the storm tide’s rising crest? The tower stretches high above the granite ground So built to...

. The Meaning of Pearl Necklaces Most pearls are prized because the luster of Their loveliness lies held in shapely spheres— Though never perfect.  Given with a love Strung out on strings of strength to last for years, The little globes repose on bodies made For fondness.  Warmth of skin...

. Consideration in Friendship In The Inferno Canto Twenty-Nine, When Dante pauses, looks with longing for His uncle’s son amid the suffering line Of falsifiers---Virgil, growing sore, Asks brusquely if he means to count them all, To which Dante responds he merely sought His kin, and hopes Virgil will let...

. Remnants of the Spring Lupine, Paintbrush, remnants of the spring Color summer’s browning meadows, splashing Renoir dots and drabbles along freshing Snow-fed streams whose whispered burbles sing Odes to joy beneath blue silent skies Stretching to eternity; Sierra Granite mountains, lakes and forests where a Zephyred evening sunset breeze...

. Riverside Park—Labor Day An ambling river. Just a wheeze of gentle breeze. My soul aquiver. . . Desert Only sand and dread. Sunset looms in bloody red. Buzzards overhead. . . Chatter Throngs of chirping birds Flit above the lowing herds. Who discerns the words? . . Benjamin Cannicott...

. Autumn Reversed Once snowflakes have recrystalized,__they rise from where they fell;in Earth’s alternate universe__it’s early winter’s knell. The frost unfreezes, rain unfalls,__leaves littering the groundascend into the naked trees__and soon become unbrowned. As acorns torn from squirrels’ paws__unripen in the boughsof oaks de-ageing, dairy maids__unmilk the oom-ing cows. Then crops befall de-harvesting__and...

. Plowing Plain plowing cultivates delight Of partnership with animals: Two horses and a man unite To draw behind them crows and gulls Feeding on worms in furrows found As a plowshare tears and turns the ground. Creation of earthy crevices From which to live with self-respect Depends upon the...

. Downtown Like an iron maze, Clustered close, towers rise, Caging the very sky. Casting their cold gaze Through myriad glazed eyes Apathetically. Beneath, the streets swell With jostling crowds of masks. Their blank stares never meet, Never see, but tell Of cares and woes none asks, Tales left incomplete---...

. Resolve Much gain involves much pain and we can see, That discipline is hard, like pumping steam, Spending each glorious day sowing seeds Striving all summer to fulfil a dream. That’s tough, but leads to joy so well deserved, Delighting in achievements richly earned So that when mellow autumn...

. Dusk Come down! you fading orb of heat, __Come down, and rest your head, I watched you in your slow defeat; __This day you had is dead. What marvel! that you lived at all, __What marvel, that we share, This day enlightened by your fall __Was worth my every...

. Cutie Pie Cat The pink-nosed face of Prospero my cat, Pink nose and white fur face, is what he rubs Against me, purring.  He does not know that I love him since he’s cute.  My finger scrubs His whiskers and his ears because I think He likes that kind...

. Let Them Go Children born around the world __some fifty years ago were free to roam and run and hide, __to ramble high and low. The bigger people stayed inside __and never really knew how far the little children went __in search of something new. They found a cave...

. The Dying It’s getting to be time again when all the leaves, their labors nearly done, prepare their legacy. We see them everywhere at work on this, the brilliant hues of fall announcing the new terms of each leaf’s call. And soon the trees will cast them off to...

. Nothing Compares Last year, on a private tour of Italy and Spain, I saw the Colosseum and cathedrals… so sublime. I found it hard to comprehend the patience and the skill It took to build those masterpieces so far back in time. And then, a couple years ago, I...

. Storm Dog Thunder, bounding through the holler, shouts. The lights are flickering but are not out. My dog is terrified out in the rain, (My cats don’t mind or so their actions claim.) I let him in his panic to assuage, His gratefulness to me his eyes display. He...

. Take Me Out to the Ball Game The game of baseball’s changed since I was younger, Back when the Giants played at Candlestick. A hot dog in my hand helped quench my hunger; The left-field stands were cheap, but did the trick. I watched as Mays, McCovey and Cepeda...

. Devotions Night after night, for nigh a year, When bedtime came, we’d watch our child Be overcome by his emotions: From glee, to rage, to childish fear, And us both stumped: What drove him so wild __And triggered these explosions? He needed more than bedtime prayer To climb down...

. Lamplights at Dusk  Along the tree-lined lane, I walk at dusk, On pavement gray, well-washed by autumn showers, And watch the fading day discard its husk, As countless leaves cascade from russet bowers. Beneath their noble, outstretched arms I stroll From pool to pool of light along the way Cast...

. The Painter  The moment when a painting is complete, He starts another piece without delay Like respiration—take a breath; repeat. Without this passion, he won't last a day. While Nature keeps on working tirelessly To make the world replete with variations, This painter's life has no diversity Except in...

. The Last Petal In a garden old and wise, Where blooms and seasons intertwine, A rose stood tall against the skies, Its petals bright, its heart divine. But time, unseen, began to stir, A single petal loosed its hold, And with it fell a whispered word, A story ending,...

. The Father of All Lights "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" ---James 1:17 How much more to please him, then, __The Father of all lights, We should---if so...

. Oaks of Righteousness “That they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD…”  ---Isaiah 61:3 What stories shared between these gnarled trees, What secrets shared twixt these and smiling breeze Softly singing, “So much more left to see…” Rustling, roused, rising to a mighty shake; Rooting,...

. August, at Your Pleasure The year, by August, late in middle age,gives knowing winks to autumn as the goldof summer sun and wheat fields turn the page,as youth, prolonged by zest, lets loose its hold. Recall those Augusts past, upon a beachin Albion---the sand, the sea, the dune;of innocence...

. Follow the Miracle A random head-turn? Vector wind deflection? Or was it truly heavenly protection? His head came close to being torn asunder Yet he survived! I have to wonder If Trump was saved by divine intervention. This strange event has captured my attention; And since it happened, I...

. Viracocha Viracocha made the world, __He made it in a day. A day in Viracocha’s life __Would leave you old and gray, So when he’d finished making it __He must sit down and play. Viracocha made the world, __He made it in a minute. He was so pleased with...

. Valediction for a Critic "She can second-guess the sixth sense of a poem." —Seamus Heaney "I thought—and still think—that all people would like poetry if they were only brought up with it and shown how easily it is entered into, and what enormous solace it has to offer." —Helen...

. To September Your fields and groves are lushly emerald still; Your flowers still waft their scents and vaunt their flair; Your blazing rays still generously spill; Your winds still gently breathe their balmy air. But now your verdure slowly, subtly fades And droops with languor, sated to its fill;...

. Solitaire A fresh tableau gives hope of gaining traction In the builds. Shortly, though, you see you’re beat. It’s like life: strangely rich the satisfaction Of having dealt your own unique defeat. . . Bird Brain I’d settle for an avian brain If in the bargain came the gift...

. Over the Hill Now that you’re "over the hill," Relax. Enjoy the view. Life’s a beach, so chill. Work? You’ve had your fill. It’s time to just do you; And now that you’re over the hill, You’ve better ways to fill The coming days. Your new Life’s a beach,...

. Flora's England The hedgerows droop with bulbous berries black As feathers of the Raven in the sun Of August, glowing hot upon his back. He soars above the corn, its growing done. While Lammas songs are sung in hamlet fields, The sickles swing and slice a background beat That...

. A Prayer in Three Quatrains Too well I know, I am a son of error; Too well I know the weakness of my frame. Yet still I plead, Lord, save me from this terror; And of Thy mercy, blot out all my shame. A worm, I plead in squirming...

. The Traveler I walked along a dusty road, The night was long and cruel and cold. When suddenly upon the path, I came across a speck of gold. I picked it up in sheer delight, And stumbled to a broken inn. Yet when I asked to stay the night,...

. Common Brief I watch the leaves awaken in the wood behind our home, as daybreak crawls along the trees, and shafts of sunlight penetrate the canopy. The leaves are motionless, but soon enough they’ll shake off sleep and dress for work, which is their God-appointed state. Though relatively frail,...

. I Have Waited for September I have waited for September When the stars shine silver white; When the sun with trepidation Chases off the cold of night. Farmers seek to reap their harvest: All the golden grain that grows; Man and beast shall nightly shiver From their midriff to...