Here are some poems I’ve written over the years. Some of the poems I’ve written reflect my inner self at a particular point in my life, while others do not. If I feel like sharing which are which, then I’ve done so below; otherwise, I either don’t want to share the background, or don’t think it’s important. Either way, if they speak to your life, that is really all that matters.
My poems on this site are covered by the Creative Commons license at the bottom of the page, which means you can quote the poem in whole or in part as long as you give me credit by name.
Enjoy!
One Day’s Worth of Simple Pleasures – written in a flash when the idea came to me while doing morning pages.
The Jester Has the Final Word – written after seeing Stephen Colbert rip into the Bush administration at the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
My God-Doll — written when I was beginning to come to terms with my emotional issues and how they were part of my approach to my faith
Throw It In the Fire — reflection on the call to commit, after watching a campfire at a staff retreat
Is There a God? — the search continues
The Air Is Out of the Balloon — written at a time when I realized that my music ministry was coming to an end
Wasting Paper — reflection on art as wasteful activity
What Do They Think? — poem written after visiting Martinsville and driving by the closed Harmon plant, and seeing what the closing did to the community
Noise — noise as part of “modern” life
Getting There — the journey versus the destination
We Remember — poem written about our younger son, Ben, for a youth recognition at church
The Day Trip — written for the first “Open Mic Night” at Highland Baptist
Thoughts on the Day after Easter — reflections on Easter, and Easter music, and the inadequacy of it
Acolytes in Tennis Shoes — written after watching the acolytes at the beginning of a worship service
Baptism — short imagery of Jesus’s baptism
The Taking of Jim Smith’s Life — doggerel about being in a meeting and thinking “there’s four hours of my life I’ll never get back” — actually written during a meeting
The Tornado in the Coffee Shop — observational poem written right after watching this small event actually happen just this way
