Beauty

. The Window Seat “They don’t read poets till they’re dead.” That’s what my wise-guy father said. “They wait till...

. Beatrice Does Not Smile: Canto XXI of Paradise by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) translated by Stephen Binns And now my...

. Awaiting Adulation We all spend our lives awaiting adulations’ late arrival. We’re convinced that’s all we need for our...

. A Novice Speaks to a Guardian Tell me, Oh honoured one, The secret of the Way, Of how to...

. A Picture of Repose A young boy’s seated on a wall that overlooks Capri, an oil painting by Dane...

. Friendship When was it first struck up? Nobody knows. It’s carried us through heydays, drabs, and falls. An unsown...

. Art Freezes Time Great art freezes time when a painting is hung. An image of beauty eternally young. Who...

. Restoration of Nôtre Dame One Paris evening seven years ago, We walked the neighborhood of Nôtre Dame, But no...

. The Little Knight The kitchen door slams open wide; The boy flies through to play outside. His house becomes...

. Three Sonnets  by Vittorio Alfieri (1749-1803) translated by Adam Sedia . LXXIV Melancholy, why take your only seat On...

. Walking Near the Waves When, walking near the waves, with eyes downcast, I look at my reflection from the...

. Parque España, Mexico City I walked until I couldn't walk without at least alighting on a city bench, the...

. How Great Thou Art __An Easter Ballade . It’s Easter. I can hear the choir sing. The gospels have...

. After the Storm All darkness past, the sun now shines Through shredded storm clouds drained of rain; Its bright...

. Hymn I met Him on that Sunday afternoon I trod the Kentish cobbles through the streets Of Rochester past dwellings in the gloom...

. . The Shroud of Death The shroud of death’s night-shadow fled Before the dawning light of day; Unveiling tombs...

. Of St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague Once I used to live a waking dream Devoid of starlight: lanterns on the...

. Deconstructing Grűnewald’s Crucifixion It isn’t de rigueur these days to show A bloodied, tortured Jesus on the cross. Post-moderns...

. The Faithful Who Have Chosen Not to Wait He rose and told us He would come again To supervise...

. The Wound in Christ's Side Culprits inflicted countless injuries On Jesus’ body during fifteen hours; The spear-thrust (last of...

. True North Light, opalescent, swirls the arctic bright; Siberian, Scandinavian, Alaskan lights. The morning sun, Aurora, hides her face....

. The End Unraveled string may be rewound, __A hidden thing be sighted; A missing object may be found, __A...

. Regret The rivulets, the patterns in the glass, the dots of rain that race down to the sill, the...

. The Mystery of Poetry The mystery of poetry __is found between the lines. The poet sends the signals while...

. La Muerte In those days, no king ruled in Ithaca. A pack moved in with communist ideals: An orgy...

. Shishaldin Radiant angel, bathed in light, Gleaming opalescent white _On the smooth, sheer snow Clothing your smooth symmetry-- Smooth...

. . Ballerina The balanced ballerina on her toe was poised with perfect posture—back and chest. The crowd, in silent...

. Song of the Wailing Women Her spirit has gone forth. Return her to the earth, Released from work and...

. In My Wilderness Once, I thought I saw things clearly. Certainty felt quite sincerely. But, my path was very...

. The Cat Who Barked There is a row of trees that crowd the ground, They’re dark and still. My...

. Promise While winter holds her icy grip __There’s promise in south breezes That make their yearly northward trip--- __Springtime,...

. The Glass Delusion of King Charles VI of France ‘His malady grew worse every day until his mind was...

. The Dandelion Suburbia frowns upon her sunlit face: “Out, out thou upstart weed!” Poor Dandelion —like sisters Cinderella, Queen...

. To the Reader of Verse Ah, lover, critic, arbiter of verse, divulge your passions, fill a lusting soul with...

. Old Orphan They’re over on my dresser, simply framed And looking 1940s fresh and young. There’s something to them...

. The Last Night That We Met in memoriam CQD, Halifax, February, 2001 We gripped hands awkwardly. I’d grasped your...

. St. Jerome’s Cicero Obsession based on St. Jerome’s letter to his disciple St. Eustochium in Rome, A.D. 384 When...

. Beatrice Smiles: Canto XXXI of Purgatory by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) translated by Stephen Binns “You, on the other side...

. The Sea Cliffs Imposing, somber, motionless they stand, Like ranks of rugged soldiers primed for war, They stand where...

. Britomart and Marinell In Edmund Spenser's epic poem, The Faerie Queene, Britomart is a female knight who represents the virtue...