Tag: narrative lyric
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One Face Only
One Face Only began as a quiet refusal. I had just turned seventy and found myself staring into a mirror—not with nostalgia or regret, but with clarity. The poem resists the impulse to chase idealized versions of self. It’s about choosing one flawed reflection over a pile of broken possibilities. The cracked mirror became a…
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Leaving Vancouver
Leaving Vancouver emerged from a moment of sensory disorientation—salt, tar, and ocean air mingling with dread. I was struck by how travel, especially cruise travel, promises escape but often delivers confrontation. The poem explores the tension between ritual and unease, between what we hope to leave behind and what insists on following us. Russell’s suitcase…
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These Fathers
These FathersAnd this father heard his God talk to him:“Take now thy son, whom thou lovest, and offer him for a burnt offering.” In turn, this father said to this son— high on this mountain top:“This is the way to kindness and wisdom.Believe me.”He stood over his son, this blade in his hand—held high over…