poetry
The Very Model (Parody)
A parody on the song by Gilbert & Sullivan " Modern Major General," discussing aspects of literary citizenship.
My Part
This poem is about not wanting to be bothered to take care of the things we love.
Suggested
This extra-long sonnet "tracks" the various ways in which AI, or artificial intelligence, now invades our online lives.
Hermit
This poem is about stifled ambition and points out that no matter how hard we try to be modest, we always fail.
River City
An homage to the St John's river in Florida and our pitiful attempts to control it.
Bones of Christmas
A poem for all those we miss,and those we have trouble being with during the holidays.
Evening Wash
A poem about spending an evening washing all the ills of the world off of you, and discovering what's left.
Rumpelstiltskin
A poem invoking the fairy tale character of Rumpelstiltskin to describe the modern Christmas season and analyze what, if anything, has been lost.
Who Owns My Vote?
This Election Day 2022 poem attempts to determine ownership of a very valuable commodity: a person's vote.
Haint Blue
This poem mixes the images of a mysteriously opening door and a found baby shoe to produce a Halloween romance.
The Swindler
A would-be sea shanty set in seafaring times, about a timeless pursuit--that of a swindler--and the swindler's inevitable come-uppance.
Unpalatable
This poem sets forth the dismay of a poet who writes in rhyme, in an age when few appreciate it.
Historic
This poem recounts sights and sounds on an early morning walk through an historic neighborhood on the St John's River in Jacksonville, Florida.
Black Diamond
In this poem an enthusiastic conductor encourages a passenger on his funicular as it groans up the mountain to a most challenging ski run.
Until Dawn
This poem is both a devotion to my mother and a lament as to the fate of the countless undiscovered or passed over, but worthy writers like her. By Andrea LeDew.
Latter Day Victorians
This poem lists the ways in which we emulate our predecessors, who marveled at the new speedy technology of trains, yet clung tight to uniforms and codes of etiquette.
Surroundings
This poem begins ominously, but overall has a positive message. In it, I chart the path of the survivor, from grief to acceptance to rejoicing.
Container Garden
This poem is voiced by a proud recycler of my generation, who does his or her duty and yet vaguely realizes, that while collecting recyclables may be enough to assuage his or her guilt, it is not nearly enough, to make a dent in the underlying problem.
Chalk Dust
This is an airport poem. We spent some time enjoying the delights of the Newark, NJ airport this past week, after a lovely sojourn with my relatives in the Philly area. This is an airport poem in the sense that it was composed in an airport, mask on, surrounded by a sea of humanity. Weather …
Resurrection Fern
This poem describes the life cycle of the resurrection fern in midsummer in North Florida.
Lapsed
A poem about the agonies of leaving the faith of your youth when reality renders that faith implausible.
Remarkably Indecent
This poem takes inspiration from the portrayal of character in the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson before the January 6th Committee, and asks the electorate to examine their own character or lack of it.