I see my work as continuous. Each project speaks to those that have come and those that will come after it.
Canticle of Idols centered on self;
Boogeyman Dawn was poised as a book of witness in the face of horror and tragedy; and How to Live Forever begins to come out of the darkness and into the light. It expresses the cultivation of wonder. In this way, this smaller collection of poems offers a drastic shift from where my work has gone in the past.
Come with me to the Irish countryside, Turkish bath house in Istanbul, and a bar in Vermont. This project takes us on small journeys. No need for a passport here.
This project will end as April, the month of poetry, begins. Copies will be available on the book tour.
Backers will be listed in the Acknowledgements page of How to Live Forever.
A Sample Poem
Ghost estate
The houses are built
on the shores,
down quaint country lanes,
with a wet meadow view
of all the wild things
that rise from the sinking:
meadowsweet, cuckoo flower,
yellow flag iris,
ragged robin,
growing in their turns.
The windows are empty.
There are no toys
in the overgrown yards.
Who will come
when the green boom
has wilted in pockets
and eyes turn red with drink?
The Irishmen left,
bringing the stew and cider,
the foundation of sorrow,
the lilt. Who will come back
if not the ghosts?
The meadow fills with rain. Flowers
bow to the ruin of bricks.