One two three, and you're just a memory. Passed through me like a breath rushing to escape these layered days bookended in a haze of smoke disguised as ethics. Eyes don't perceive the depth of field in this panorama of you. Fingers reach out but can't touch a thought. With sense of smell improved, less hunger, sleep no… Continue reading Just a memory
Looking for unusual poetry books
When I got the idea for blinks of awe earlier this year, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to push what modern technology can do for an artform as old as poetry. I'm excited by what I've come up with and I'm sure you'll be excited too (as soon as I get Apple's approval). While I'm… Continue reading Looking for unusual poetry books
Infinite Cigarette
you light up late at night, indulging my newly-found addiction it's just before you have to leave but the orange breaths of gray help you stay a moment... longer- your smoke fills my bubble and hugs me with thoughts i never thought ideal ideas taking inappropriate shape between quick and quiet looks punctuated by smiles… Continue reading Infinite Cigarette
Sailing in place
i. clutch. the. showerhead, drowning in the afternoon of sound, shrieking lyrics of your December song on final repeat - but why end? headBANGING! in the bathtub, almost slipping on the words of agony, they fill his heart like tear droplets and I spew them out. neighbors worry as i stomp with bass until marble… Continue reading Sailing in place
a Violent Naked
let's lose our minds and morals and ourselves. shed integrity and enemies, friends and figureheads, the future us, the trusted parts, the known and certain patterns of the heart. forget described disguise, the honest lies, the dreams inside, the thoughts we hide from light. take off this skin with all of it's experience and all… Continue reading a Violent Naked
The Medium of First Drafts Doesn’t Matter
I was recently seduced by a typewriter. It happened while I was watching Finding Forrester. The typewriter came on screen and it intrigued me the way a record player or an old computer might. Something inside me said, this is how they did it before for years and years. No sexy, overpriced multitasking machine with tweets,… Continue reading The Medium of First Drafts Doesn’t Matter
Haikubes
Haikubes are a small collection of blocks you can use to write haiku. You can roll two inspiration dice and write on that theme. My friend Jay Marie and I recently played around with these. Here's what I came up with when I rolled [ die 1 ] and [ die 2 ]: [ a vision… Continue reading Haikubes
Embracing Blight
Dusk devours the hills into the belly of night. Tree tops beheaded in the fog. The sky an inverse sea, drowning the idea of low tide. The light diminishes and solemnly divides until all that's left is the flicker of headlights reflected in dark windows. I let the time extinguish bright until I'm just another… Continue reading Embracing Blight
The Data Hiding Inside Ebooks
I recently met with one of the founders of a startup pushing the boundaries of what's possible in ebooks. We discussed what impact more technology and better insight into reader behavior would have on publishing. Could books be more like web sites or apps in that regard? Would that be a better experience for readers,… Continue reading The Data Hiding Inside Ebooks
Judging Books by Their Opening Lines
You pick up a book with an interesting title or attractive cover. You flip it over to the back cover, trying to ignore the praise as you hunt for the description. Sometimes you have to crack open the jacket and occasionally the price in one of the corners catches your eye before the description. If… Continue reading Judging Books by Their Opening Lines
blinks of awe themes: romantic antics
Until recently, I believed being in love was my purpose in life. That's why the last chapter of blinks of awe, "a lonely heart," is last. It's one of the ways I've been consciously de-emphasizing this once omnipotent force. But being last is not just an act of defiant neglect. It's also the writer's last… Continue reading blinks of awe themes: romantic antics
blinks of awe themes: losing youth
It's hard to write about the poems in the third chapter of blinks of awe, th' Lost & Young, without getting lost in thought about the people who inspired them. One endured one of the ghastliest things anyone could experience and went on to rebuild and build. Another isn't here anymore. Another is still growing… Continue reading blinks of awe themes: losing youth
blinks of awe themes: the in-between
It's fitting that "tiny anomalies" is the shortest chapter in blinks of awe because it refers to largely forgotten parts of life. When picking poems for blinks of awe, I tried to group them together thematically and emotionally. Most poems carried many feelings and suggested very clear categories but soon something else snuck up on me. I first… Continue reading blinks of awe themes: the in-between
blinks of awe themes: nostalgia
"preDawn", the first chapter of blinks of awe, touches on traveling, inspiration, the deep corners of the night, and nostalgia. Though the latter is only directly referenced in two of the seven poems, it drives the other topics and ideas in its own unique way. Nostalgia has been a pet topic of mine for years.… Continue reading blinks of awe themes: nostalgia
What exactly is a poetry experience?
Roughly a week ago I submitted my first collection of poetry to Apple's iBookstore. As I eagerly check the submission site for the book's status several times a day, I reflect on what brought me here. How does someone who never imagined releasing anything other than a traditionally published novel end up self-publishing an interactive… Continue reading What exactly is a poetry experience?
Arsenal of Words 