(Info about this page at the bottom)
BRUCE’S POEMS
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
POEMS BY OTHERS
There’s a Hole In My Sidewalk — I saw this in a therapist’s office, and thought it was an excellent description of moving to emotional health. (Portia Nelson)
Ozymandias — a wonderfully descriptive poem about hubris. The cartoon accompanying the poem is a classic, in my opinion. (Percy Bysshe Shelley)
The War Prayer — a truly disturbing work by Mark Twain. It should be read by anyone wishing to glorify war, as well as by anyone who prays without thinking. (Mark Twain)
Bridal Shower — a neat little poem that just struck my fancy. (George Bilgere)
Dialogue Parts I & II — the lyrics to the Chicago song by the same name. Timely then, timely now.
Forgetfullness — a wry little poem that perfectly captures my relationship to my memory sometimes. (Billy Collins)
Advice to Young Poets — a perfect little poem that I first saw in Writer’s Almanac (Martin Espada)
For Remembered Music Sounding — A poem shared in the church newsletter the week after the choir performed Faure’s Requiem, which I sang in. I read the poem and wanted to share it more broadly. (Thomas H. Troeger)
This page contains two sets of poems: ones written by me, and ones written by others that I really like. Whenever I add a new poem to this page, I’ll note it on the front page in the blog.
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. The other poems, of course, are copyright by their respective authors (or are in the public domain) and should receive the same treatment if you quote them — full attribution.
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 above; 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.
Enjoy!
