Some mornings I am all need and I want someone to take care of me instead of me taking care of my kids. But I pull it together with the coffee my husband made for me. I make eggs for myself and make myself eat them while I pull together lunches and pull my children […]

This poem snuck up on me in many ways. Someone had popped it up on Facebook for me to find. And then I was excited that it was about fatherhood. Then I was reading and saying oh yes, oh yes, and that too, yes. By the time I got to the last line I wasn’t […]

My week is filled with deadlines and children with colds (home from school to gather rest and extra love). Still, I stray from the task at hand to sample the poems up for poetry month at The Rumpus. I’ve brought one back for you today. Search for why I chose to include it in my […]

Hello again. It’s been a few days, and I keep wondering what poet I should post here. There’s not much left of April, and I can’t let it play out until I post a poem from Naoimi Shihab Nye. I love her work. I read it when I feel a deep ache and I can’t […]

Poetry is my balm. Sometimes I think the only thing that will be left after I am gone is these words. And not just my words, all the words I have loved written by others. Or even just single words, uttered by the ones I love during our discussions about the words we love. Epiphany. […]

Poetry Month is full of gifts. Like yesterday, I found out The Rumpus is publishing a poem every day, and it looks like it’s an original poem every day, too. How wonderful is that? Here’s a poem they published a few days ago by a poet I have never read: Daniel Priest. How excellent is […]

It’s Monday, and I am quickly getting addicted to posting poems here. Today it’s Anne Sexton, and I’m just posting the second half of the poem. This speaks to the deep love one has for their offspring, even as it’s a poem giving warning to a special person. Let’s not plumb the depths of despair […]

Have you ever seen the tagline “Assume Positive Intent”? I think I first saw it on a friend’s email signature years ago. It stood out, making me think how often I assume negative intent. This reminds me of parenting. When one of my girls is throwing a fit or being flip with me, sometimes it […]

Hey folks. It’s Friday of spring break for us. It’s also my first day back teaching writing. This session I’m teaching teens non-fiction writing. I need to sharpen pencils and organize my supplies. So I’ve read some poetry and decided to post one of mine instead of continuing the search for a perfect poem for […]

I’m thrilled to share a local poet’s work today. Kelli Russell Agodon’s website bio states that she “lives in small seaside community in Washington State.” Yes, she lives near me and she infuses the entire Pacific Northwest with her teaching skills. Lucky us! I’ve taken a generative poetry writing class taught by Kelli and Susan […]