vitalwholeness

I recently sent out a link to the Kindle version of a new collection of poems, A Baker’s Dozen. For some time people have suggested that I gather up some of my poetry for distribution. This I have done, 12 + 1 of them. Most of them are recent, though a couple were written several years ago. I hope you enjoy them. Please feel free to share. I am not charging for them because I simply want to share them. If you do reprint one or a portion of one I hope you will attribute it. Today I am providing the Pdf version, one you can read, download, print or share.

When I was a little boy I noticed that my father would play with poetry. These were not only love poems, though I later found that love poems were indeed part of his canon of poetry. They were mostly playful little poems used for games or clues in some quest. They always rhymed, often following some tried and true pattern like Roses are Red, Violets are Blue. His poems were not meant to be classics. And though he was not a man of letters, I do remember him reciting Hamlet’s Soliloquy by memory, no doubt some remnant of Highschool Literature. I’m guessing Dad would be some perplexed by my verse, especially as it is not meant to rhyme and the meter is often irregular. But I also guess he would intuitively understand the metaphors, similes and allusions to things seen and unseen.

If you click the link below you can download the whole little project. Poetry is meant to be contemplated, both in its writing and reading, and often out loud. For me, poetry essentializes meaning, distills and concentrates in carefully chosen words and images that which gets to the heart of a matter. Tied to music it often creates an indelible trace in memory. Good prose does that too, of course, but poetry even more so. Like any good Baker, I’ve given you a dozen with an extra one thrown in for good measure. You get to choose which one you taste first.