There’s a place in Hebrews (quoting from the Psalms) that reads, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” (Heb. 1:10-12)
August always feels like a fast, flurried month. No holiday gives it special significance; summer is practically over, autumn rushing in to take its place. It’s a month of transition, and as such, I find it easy to overlook. August acts as a kind of bridge between vacation season and study season, rather than being […]
Anyone else feel surprised by summer this year? by it being May 1st all of the sudden? I’m nearly beside myself with joy to see leafy green everywhere and clean-slate skies. I always think of that e. e. cummings poem at this time of year: “I thank You God for most this amazing day:for the […]
Yes, I technically made up that word. But you might recognize its two parts: philo, from the Greek φιλος, and pluvia, a Latin root. Philo conveys the idea of love or friendship, as in “philosophy,” the love of wisdom, “bibliophile,” a book-lover, and so on. Pluvia simply means “rain,” as in Pluviôse, the fifth month of […]
Is anyone else enjoying summer? Sure, right now it’s a bit too hot and humid for comfort (at least here in southern Illinois), but still, we have had some delightful days lately. Here is a very short, very simple poem I wrote recently, which I hope you enjoy. Evening Radiance a cloud peachy-furred and […]
Kjerstin Kauffman, an ’08 alumna of Hillsdale College with an MFA from Johns Hopkins University, will be teaching a Poetry Workshop at Hillsdale in the fall, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m so looking forward to learning from her and refining my understanding of poetic technique. She and her husband have three young children, […]
Yesterday afternoon I was thrilled to be a part of the Spring Honors Assembly at Hillsdale College. Conducted once a year, this ceremony provides the college’s various departments with an opportunity to recognize a few of their students and give out awards and scholarships. Some of the awards require applications from students and others don’t, […]
Delivery In embered darkness, hours after birth, my ear catching the baby’s feathered breath, beside the manger, huddled on the earth her sleeping form I watch. How close to death this girl, this woman, mother, maiden, wife, approached, on this bleak, brutal midnight blest, a cave our only shelter, I midwife, my reddened hands gripping […]
I encountered this poem by Gjertrud Schnackenberg about a year ago, near Christmastime. I’d never heard of Schnackenberg before, but since reading “Supernatural Love” I’ve studied and enjoyed many more of her works and she has become one of my favorite modern poets. I find her writing stunning, graceful, and soulful. If you haven’t read […]
A Fragrance As of Myrrh Her fading years have greyed her skin and hair. Her eyes (like seeds, fresh green) inspire her face with blooming patience, distant in their gaze— perceiving something absent, lost, or rare. A single rose she tends with foregone care, preserving its shy presence in a vase, its keen aroma spread […]